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Recap

Regis d’Auric was a young soldier inept in swordplay and horsemanship,


spending all his time reading. He was transferred to the borders, where he
met a girl with vermillion hair and crimson eyes— Marie Quatre Argentina
de Belgaria. Nickname, Altina.

Her mother was a commoner, and she was chased out of the palace for this.
Despite being just fourteen, she was appointed the commander of a border
regiment because of her status as a royal… She didn’t lament her fate
resolving herself to change the Empire for the sake of the oppressed people.

「I want to become Empress, lend me your wisdom.」

In order to be acknowledged by others as a commander, Altina challenged the


hero Jerome who was the de facto leader, and won.

Regis didn’t have any confidence in himself, but he still promised to be her
strategist.

The two of them experienced a series of hardships.

The attack of the barbarians.

Assaulting the impregnable Fort Volks.

Traveling to the capital to attend the 《Founding Day Festival》…

While the Belgarian Empire was in turmoil caused by succession issues, a


declaration of war came from the neighbouring High Brittania.

At the same time, the Varden Archduchy attacked Fort Volks as if they were
working in concert, but the assault was crushed in just a single night.
Following this, they aided the Seventh Army in their retreat from the 《Battle
of Lafressange》.

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To cut off the enemy’s supply line, Regis eliminated the High Brittania’s
《Queen’s Fleet》 as the acting admiral.

He then annihilated the supply unit led by the Mercenary King Gilbert,
making the decisive move to cement the Empire’s victory.

At the same time— The Second Prince Latreille witnessed the Emperor
indulging in lavish pleasures even though the Empire was on the brink. He
could no longer hold back his rage, and swung his 《Arme Victoire Volonte》.

He covered up the fact that he committed regicide, and announced to the


public that the Emperor passed away from old age.

During the battle to liberate the fortress city Grebauvar, Latreille saw Regis’
extraordinary command abilities, and decided to assassinate him judging him
to be a great threat.

However, Regis managed to return to the capital with the aid of the
Mercenary Band 《Renard Pendu》, and laid out political chess pieces in the
dark. With the help of the book shop owner Carol, news reporter Claude,
activist Bourgine and the Third Prince Bastian, a report on Prince Latreille
committing regicide was published in the Weekly Quarry newspaper.

On the other hand, Altina couldn’t accept the obituary of Regis’ demise, and
led her army to the capital.

The First Army renowned for being the strongest in the Empire, and the most
decorated unit in the war that just ended, the Fourth Army. These two sides
faced off against each other tensely on the outskirts of the capital.

At this crucial point, Regis finally reunited with Altina.

After negotiating with Latreille, civil war was averted.

Latreille was coronated as the Emperor, and bestowed the Staff of the
Généralissime to Altina. He ordered her to send reinforcements to the
southern war front that was going poorly.

After purging the generals who were more retarded and incompetent than

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Regis imagined, they finally managed to fortify the frontlines.

With the help of the Grand Noble Eleanor, they managed to send Elise back
to High Brittania to take her rightful place as the new Queen, Elizabeth
Victoria.

Regis entrusted the plans to improve the new rifles to her.

On the other hand, the curtains had been opened for a new battle for Altina.

Emperor Latreille ordered her to invade the Hispania Empire. That nation had
been disguising their navy as pirates attacking the merchant ships from the
surrounding countries. Regis was against hegemony, but he couldn’t ignore
such criminal deeds either.

In order to bring them down, the 40,000 troops of the Fourth and Thirteenth
Armies crossed the borders.

On a certain hill, they clashed with the 30,000 soldiers from Hispania.

The soldiers spread out into small groups using boulders and trees as cover.

However, Regis used the new cannons to blow away all obstacles destroying
all the enemy’s hiding places. The surprised and now unprotected enemy was
routed in the face of the new rifles of the Belgaria Empire.

Altina drew her sword.

【All units, advance!】

Prologue: Dominance

Belgaria Empire year 851, November 17th—

The sound of rifle reports echoed on the battlefield.

Altina’s Fourth Army was the first unit to train with rifles in the Empire.

They could maintain formation in live battle, reload quickly and shot with

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high accuracy.

【Fire!!】

The soldiers fired orderly like in training at the approaching, spread-out


Hispania army,

But the enemy didn’t slow down.

【Charge!】

【Charge!】

【Charge!】

They were like moths to a flame.

Altina frowned on her horse karakara. Her side had the upper hand, but she
still hated seeing people dying.

【Why aren’t they retreating?】

Regis who was standing beside her surveyed the same battlefield. But he
couldn’t ride a horse, and was standing.

【… Given how spread out the troops are, it’s hard to relay the commander’s
orders to everyone.】

【So spreading out is bad?】

【Yes, but that is just consequentialism— The Hispania army wanted to


approach the Belgaria Army by using cover. Hence, compared to marching in
formation, splitting into numerous groups would make them more agile and
harder to attack with gunfire.】

【It seems that they never expect things to turn out this way.】

【… That’s right.】

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Before the battle begun, the battlefield had a lot of cover ,boulders, trees and
the like.

The opposing commander chose this place intentionally to minimize the


effectiveness of the Belgaria Empire’s new rifles and cannons.

After all, if the field of vision was poor, the new rifle wouldn’t be able to
make full use of its advantage of range and firepower.

However, this was within Regis’ expectations too.

After seeing the enemy spread out—

The Belgaria army’s new cannons, the 200 《40 Allen cannon》 pulverised all
the covers on the battlefield leading to the Hispania soldiers reckless charge
in this open and completely different battlefield.

Most of them didn’t even notice the flaw in their tactics, and got shot down
by the rifles.

Altina looked shocked.

【Why aren’t they sounding the bugles to retreat?】

【… I think they already did. But the distance is too far, and the sound got
drowned out by the nonstop gunshots.】

Although Regis was the one who ordered the Belgaria army to keep firing
without any breaks in between.

【So our forces wouldn’t be able to hear the command from the bugles?】

【… Did anything like that ever happen to us?】

【I don’t think so.】

Their unit fought a battle with the rifles firing in unison before.

But they didn’t have any issue with the orders being relayed through bugles.

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【… When the commander of the Belgaria army… which is you, issues an
order, the bugles at the headquarters will be sounded. The bugles situated at
various locations would echo the order to the frontlines. And of course, we
would also send out messengers.】

【Oh, I see.】

【… Are you thinking that it is pointless to increase the number of bugles?】

【Because I never thought that the sound of the gunshots would muffle the
bugles, I thought we just needed to increase the number of buglers
proportionately to the increase in our soldiers.】

Altina scratched her head.

【… I see, I guess I didn’t make it clear, huh.】

Regis replied with a shrug.

He checked his pocket watch, then gave an order to the buglers.

It was a one-sided affair, but ammunition and stamina of the troops were still
being depleted. It was almost time to switch out the front ranks.

A smoke signal had been raised behind the enemy; they realized that the
bugles wouldn’t reach, and used a different method.

The order to retreat was late, but it was better than never.

Altina pointed to the enemy:

【The Hispaniards are fleeing!】

The correct terms to use on the battlefield was ‘retreat’ or ‘retrograde’.

However, the enemy was running in scattered groups without any semblance
of formation.

As he looked at the battlefield Regis said:

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【… The Hispania army was 30,000 in the beginning, but their numbers had
dwindled to less than 20,000.】

【What a tragedy.】

Countless corpses littered the battlefield.

Regis said with a shiver:

【… As expected, rifles are scary.】

【That’s right.】

【… In the past, most casualties in battle were only wounded, and could return
to their homes with their lives.】

【But it’s different in a war with rifles.】

【… Yes.】

He had fought several battles and braced himself, but it was still heart
wrenching.

She asked seriously:

【But, we have to move forward. Isn’t that right, Regis?】

【… Yes, that’s right. No matter how great our ideals are, it would just be
wishful-thinking if we don’t win the battle in front of us.】

Altina nodded.

She lifted up the 《Grand Tonnerre Quatre》.

【All units, ready!】

The knight corps formed up in the front.

The heavy infantry was right behind them.

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The riflemen retreated to the back. However, they had another assignment:
they traded their rifles for pikes and guarded the headquarters.

In this era, armies had already started fixing bayonets to the front of their
rifles to fight in battles.

However, the bayonets were jammed into the muzzles of the rifles, so they
couldn’t be fired.

The rifles were also too short, so the fourth army prepared pikes for them
instead.

Altina swung her blade towards the enemy.

【All units, advance!】

The enemy was already routed.

It was no longer a battle, but since the enemy was fleeing instead of
surrendering, they couldn’t let them off so easily.

After a pursuit and another 5,000 casualties, the battle concluded.

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Chapter 1: Thirteenth Army
Evening—

Regis’ tent was near the headquarters.

An officer, a woman around 20 years of age with a fair face and shoulder-
length brown hair, entered his abode with a textbook perfect salute.

【Strategist of the Généralissime Office, Sir Regis d'Auric! Second Grade


Combat Officer Marion Alphonse de Barguesonne of the Thirteenth Army,
reporting for duty.】

【Oh, hello… Sorry for summoning you to the headquarters, there’s just too
much data.】

【It’s fine.】

Regis’ personal tent was filled with detailed documents of the surrounding
areas, and the units.

Useful information needed to be available at headquarters after all.

During a battle, the headquarters was wherever Altina might be at.

Also, the number of officers visiting Regis’ tent had increased.

Recently, when referring to the headquarters, it included Regis’ tent.

【… Originally, I should be submitting the proposal, and the Généralissime


would veto and issue the order.】

【Has the Généralissime turned in for the night?】

【No… She is probably practicing swordsmanship.】

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【Sword practice?】

It was only natural for Marion to be shocked.

She was from the Seventh Army at the eastern war front. After the frontline
there had stabilized, she was reassigned.

And now, she was a commander in the Thirteenth Army.

As she was just posted here, she still wasn’t used to Altina’s style of doing
things.

Normal commanders wouldn’t conduct night sword practice when there was
a battle in the day.

They would need to deal with the aftermath of the battle.

And rest after that had been done.

Regis showed a face of resignation.

【… This is already the era of rifles. I hope the Généralissime won’t rush onto
the frontlines again.】

【You are right. But… my grandfather often said “No matter what era it is,
you can’t neglect training with the spear.” “A commander who isn’t
confident in their own abilities would hesitate during crucial moments.”】

Marion’s grandfather was the late Lieutenant General Barguesonne, a


renowned general with years of experience under his belt.

In contrast, Regis would even hit his own knee when he wielded a sword, so
his confidence was really low.

And he did hesitate when faced with an important decision.

In the end, he could only watch helplessly as his political enemy, Prince
Latreille, became Emperor.

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But he made a new resolution now.

【… How unpleasant.】

【Ah, erm, my apologies! I don’t mean that!】

【… It’s fine, that does sound like something Lieutenant General Barguesonne
would say.】

【Thank you for your kind understanding.】

There was one thing that needed to be corrected— Altina didn’t practice her
sword to build her mental strength and confidence. She believe
wholeheartedly that she could win with a sword even if her enemies used a
rifle.

She probably didn’t even think about tactics.

To avoid something like that from happening, a strategist would be needed.

Regis laid out a simplified map.

【… Well then, this would be the security zone for the Thirteenth Army
tonight.】

【Yes.】

It was a plan for the unit to roster some of their men to watch over a
designated area.

Marion said in surprise:

【We have to surveil such a big territory?】

【Our high performance rifles and cannons are not effective at night after all.】

Hence, the chance of an enemy night raid was higher.

There was a need to enhance security.

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Marion nodded.

【I see… There are new countermeasures against new weapons… And a new
plan would again be needed to deal with such.】

【… Yes, you are correct. The new rifles changed the way wars are fought,
and we need to devise new tactics to go with this trend.】

【As expected of Sir Strategist.】

She looked at Regis with eyes filled with respect.

Regis scratched his head.

【… Well… Actually, anyone would realize it if they gave it a few thoughts.】

【This is the first time I see such a method of surveillance.】

The movement chart on the map looped back on itself several times.

【… Ahh, this is something from 《Perishia War Chronicles》. Most people


who want to infiltrate a security perimeter would start going after a patrol
went by. So by looping back from time to time, we could cover these
loopholes and lower the chance of an enemy infiltration… Hmm?】

Marion looked confused.

【……】

【Ah, was my explanation too difficult?】

【No, it’s fine, I’m just wondering what 《Perishia War Chronicles》 is…? I’m
ashamed to say that I’m ignorant about that.】

【I see— It’s a niche book after all, and wouldn’t be sold at the borders. But
it’s interesting, so do give it a read. It should be available for retail in the
capital.】

【Okay! Is it a battle chronicle? Or a strategy guide?】

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Hmm? Regis tilted his head:

【It’s an entertainment novel.】

【……Huh?】

She got even more confused.

【Ah, but don’t look down on it. The author Mr Boisset worked as an army
clerk for a long period of time, so the research is well done.】

【But, it’s an entertainment novel… Ah, are you cracking a joke, Sir
Strategist?】

【I’m not!】

Regis did his best to explain how great that book was.

After that, Marion saluted and started to leave the tent.

It was already dark.

He couldn’t stop himself once he started talking about books. If the set up of
the security network was delayed because of this, Regis would have no
excuses if he lost his head over this.

He wiped away the cold sweat on his brows.

However, before Marion left, another person came to visit.

It was a woman with light colored hair, snow white skin and slender limbs.
Just like a fairy from fairy tales.

As she was wearing a one piece dress that showed quite a bit of skin, it felt
out of place on the battlefield. Even if this was an army camp, it was hard to
imagine her being a mercenary.

She was Jessica, the deputy leader of the mercenary band 《Renard Pendu》.
Her duties weren’t fighting on the frontlines, but strategizing and negotiating.

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【Ara, are you in the middle of a war meeting?】

【We just finished.】

Regis answered.

Marion said in surprise:

【Sir Strategist, isn’t she a civilian? What is she doing here?】

Now that she mentioned it, they had never met yet, Regis thought.

《Renard Pendu》 was famous, but they weren’t a part of the Fourth Army, and
numbered less than a thousand.

Hence, their deputy band leader wouldn’t be summoned to take part in a war
conference in the first place.

Jessica didn’t like places with so many people anyway.

She chuckled with a wry smile:

【Lord Auric, she seems to be misunderstanding something.】

【… What?】

【She probably thinks that I’m a harlot you have hired.】

Regis spit in shock.

Marion’s face turned beet red:

【I-I didn’t think that far! I-I just saw your attire that didn’t fit the battlefield
and… and…】

Jessica’s guess seemed to be spot on.

Regis said with a blushed face.

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【No no no… there’s no way she is...】

Jessica intentionally flicked her hair. Her beautiful hair and pale nape looked
really alluring.

【Ara… is that what you think… Looks like I have to claim the payment that I
deserve from Lord Auric.】

【I had never thought of you in such a way.】

【Really? Didn’t you tell me I was beautiful before?】

【Hey…?!】

That was true, but the way she put it made it really easy to misunderstand.

Marion’s face turned gloomy as she started mumbling:

【… Leaving jerks like the Black Knight aside… to think that even the
Strategist called pretty girls to the battlefield.】

He had to clear up this misunderstanding quickly.

Regis sighed and said:

【Ms Jessica, it’s mean to tease an upstanding soldier.】

【Fufu… She just had such an interesting expression when she saw me.】

Marion glared at her:

【Who exactly are you?】

Jessica who was usually elegant acted very provocative today for some
reason. She said with a faint smile:

【I’m the deputy leader of the 《Renard Pendu》 mercenary band, Jessica
Schweinzeberg. As an officer, it’s better for you to not judge a book by its
cover.】

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【Tch… Even if you are a mercenary, this is still an Imperial War Camp, so
watch your attire.】

Jessica and Marion glared at each other.

Why did things turn out this way?

Regis’ stomach started to ache.

【… Erm, Second Grade Combat Officer Marion, I will leave the command of
the security perimeter to you. Ms Jessica, how can I help you?】

Marion finally remembered she had work to do, and said with a salute:

【I will take my leave then! I will make haste and complete my assignment!】

She ran off in a hurry.

Jessica who was left behind shrugged.

【As expected of someone from the boondocks.】

【… I’m surprised that you are bothered by her so much.】

【Because that little girl— looked down on entertainment novels.】

【You even heard that.】

Jessica was actually a heavy book addict, a fellow book lover like Regis.

She wouldn’t recommend books to the people around her, but she would still
simmer in anger if anyone disparaged a book she liked.

【How dare she belittle the masterpiece of Boisset without even reading it.】

【Well, it can’t be helped since she never read it.】

【Like I said, Lord Auric, boorish people like her won’t understand, so there’s

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no need to tell them about it.】

【… Alright. I’m not reading for the sake of earning people’s respect. I might
get belittled, but since I mentioned it, she might read that book someday.】

【You are really…】

Jessica’s expression softened.

Regis said with an awkward smile:

【… Are you here to discuss books with me? I would be happy to oblige.】

She said resignedly:

【On the night just after a battle concluded? What mercenaries are interested
in would be information of the big picture.】

【That’s true. Although it’s a pity, I just read a book I wanted to talk about.】

【Even though you are so tired?】

【I could still talk about it into the morning hours.】

【… Then talk all you want with the Généralissime.】

【Huh? Well, if I’d tell Altina about it, she would only fall asleep halfway. It’s
about religion, so the content is a little difficult to understand.】

Regis answered Jessica, still eager to talk more about books.

【It’s a complete victory, right?】

After ushering Jessica into the tent, Regis took out two cups and poured
water into them from a jug.

【… I think it’s just half a win. I wanted to force a surrender.】

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【Where’s the enemy army?】

【The Hispania Army went back to their stronghold, the Bassetti fort. They
have around 15,000 men left.】

Regis proffered her a cup.

Jessica took it and sat down.

【A splendid war accomplishment.】

After all, the Belgaria Empire’s Fourth Army and Thirteenth Army that
numbered 20,000 each didn’t suffer any significant losses yet.

Regis took a sip of water.

She was sitting in the only chair in the room, so Regis had to sit on the bed.

【…Hispania is a naval nation. They only share a border with the Belgaria
Empire, so their army isn’t strong.】

【Then why did they kept clashing against the Empire?】

【… One of the reason is their alliance with the Etruria Theocracy, which
made it hard for the Empire to invade them. The unrest of the southern nobles
is also another factor.】

【That’s true, we had only seized complete control recently.】

The southern nobles were originally the vassals of a small Kingdom. As they
surrendered without a fight with the Empire, they were bestowed with
peerage titles and continued their rule over their land.

However, there was an uprising.

And Lieutenant General Dorval of the Sixth Army took half a year to quash
the rebellion.

【… More importantly, the Belgaria Empire had been stalling on expanding

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its territory. The previous Emperor wasn’t too enthusiastic on conquering
new lands.】

They only invaded the land to the south to feed their ever growing
population.

And if the small southern Kingdom didn’t submit to the Belgaria Empire,
they would be subjugated by the Etruria Theocracy and the Hispania Empire.

Jessica nodded.

【The policies of Emperor Latreille will give plenty of work for us


mercenaries.】

【… You said that the mercenary band is like your family, right? In a war,
there would always be casualties. If it becomes peaceful, you won’t lose your
family members, and everyone can find better work.】

【You think those guys can do other jobs?】

【… They are healthy enough to fight a war, so they definitely can learn
another trade.】

【It will be great if that is true.】

She shrugged.

Jessica was dubious on the accuracy of his words, but she didn’t brush it off
either. She still had some hope about it.

The topic returned to the war at hand.

【… Firstly, the enemy is defending the fort stubbornly with 15,000 troops, so
we need to seize this Bassetti fort.】

【And what happens after that?】

【… I estimate the Hispania Empire to have an army of 50,000, maybe even


more.】

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【That’s unexpectedly large.】

【… They didn’t need to guard against other nations, so they could muster all
their forces for a single battle. Another reason is that they could gather the
forces spread out in the other cities quickly with their ships.】

Most of the ships in Hispania were small sail ships, but they were really
convenient for travel near the shoreline. Faster than traveling by wagons.

The downside was the difficulty in sailing in them further from the shoreline
due to their substandard seaworthiness.

Regis pointed to the map.

【……Fort Bassetti is located near the ocean. However, the battles we have
fought so far happened in away from the sea.】

Regis went out to the sea before, but the unit only had experience fighting on
land.

Jessica nodded after perusing the map.

【Even for small sail ships, we can still hit them at this range.】

【Yes. We have the new cannons on our side… However, we could only
transport the mid sized cannons through the mountain range at the borders.
On the other hand, the enemy’s vessels are outfitted with the large old type
cannons.】

【We will lose in a shootout?】

【… Maybe.】

It would be hard to tell if they didn’t try.

However, it was very likely that they would suffer great casualties.

Regis scratched his head.

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【… It would be great if we can defeat them in the sea.】

【Speaking of which, I heard your side captured steamships from High


Brittania, correct?】

【Yes, vessel one has been dismantled for research, while vessel two is still
operational.】

【Can it be deployed? If we can win in the sea, then the terrain would be
advantageous to us instead. We can even force them to surrender without a
fight.】

【… I think so too. However, the captured vessels are under the jurisdiction of
the Ministry of Military Affairs, and is now owned by the First Army.
Researching the steamship and training on its usage are both dependent on it,
if the Imperial Navy loses this ship, and we would be twenty years behind in
terms of technology. Emperor Latreille would probably not agree to this.】

Jessica smirked:

【How unexpectedly timid… Stowing things away so carefully and never ever
utilizing items happen quite often too.】

【Well, it can’t be helped. Let’s look forward to the ships built by the
Empire.】

【When can it be finished?】

【I heard it is already being tested in the water. As they are mechanized sail
ships built by modifying an Athena Class ship, it could be deployed if it
could move.】

【Then use that then.】

【Haha… Well, I already submitted a request, but they didn’t reply to me.】

Most of the Navy was under the control of the First Army.

If they had to fight against Latreille in the future, this might become an

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obstacle.

They had to avoid their communication with High Brittania from being cut
off.

Regis needed to consider countermeasures early.

Jessica asked:

【Well, I understand the situation with the Hispania Empire. Have you
thought up any tactics to deal with the enemy’s naval bombardment?】

【… No, I couldn’t come up with any schemes.】

【I see.】

Jessica knew what he meant.

Hahaha, Regis smiled awkwardly:

【… You heard of an old novel called 《Pueri and Roy》?】

【Never heard of that before. When was it published?】

【… About ten years before we were born.】

【Ara, I believe I never told you my age.】

【Speaking of which…】

Regis thought.

From her appearance, she was probably about his age, maybe a little older.

【Maybe I’m older than your mother?】

That was improbable.

However, he heard that Jessica was known as the “Magician”.

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No, it couldn’t be.

Regis gave up.

【… Let’s drop the discussion about a woman’s age. That book is so old that
it’s hard to purchase a copy.】

【That’s true. Maybe thirty years old books like that can be found in the
Military Library?】

【… Actually, it’s sold in a normal book shop in Sembione city!】

【What?!】

The two of them talked about books as they exchanged military opinions.

The next day—

The Belgaria Imperial Army marched on fort Bassetti.

Altina rode on a horse with the headquarters unit.

On the other hand, Regis rode on a white carriage. He did so because he


couldn’t ride a horse, and the desk inside let it serve as a mobile war room.

The maid Clarice sat opposite him.

【Sir Regis, your meeting ended really late last night.】

【… Ah, yes.】

【You were speaking with Ms Jessica, right?】

【… Well, I was discussing the coming war plans, and giving her the
assignment of supply team escorts.】

【I see.】

【She is the strategist of a Mercenary band that had been through countless

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battles. Her opinions are very insightful.】

I see, Clarice nodded:

【So that’s how it is. I thought you two would definitely be talking
passionately about books.】

Regis broke out in cold sweat.

【… You overheard?】

【Ara, I didn’t know it’s a secret.】

【Hahaha… Well, it’s still a war conference after all.】

It was still formally a war conference.

【My apologies. So for Sir Regis and Ms Jessica, it’s a secret… I see.】

【Why did you make it sound ambiguously towards the end?】

He seemed to have caused unnecessary misunderstanding again.

Clarice said quietly:

【I’m just kidding.】

【Ms Clarice, you are always like this… How troubling.】

【I wonder if the Princess will think this is a joke too?】

【Don’t!】

Clarice smiled cheerfully.

Regis knew she was just teasing, but it was still nerve wrecking.

There wasn’t any unsightly relationship between him and Jessica, but he
didn’t want Altina to know that they were talking about books.

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There wasn’t any need to hide it though…

Clarice added:

【Last night… The Princess was waiting for Regis to come the entire time.】

【Ehh, really!? She could have just summoned me.】

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【It probably wasn’t anything urgent.】

That’s why she didn’t send anyone to get Regis.

It wasn’t urgent, and she probably just wants to chat with Regis.

Regis nodded:

【… Our forces didn’t suffer much losses, but we still finished a battle.】

He could understand why she wanted to be with somebody.

That was probably why Regis spoke with Jessica for so long.

Altina didn’t have any friends.

Normally, a noble lady would have some ladies-in-waiting with her.


However, she went to war as a Généralissime instead of a Princess.

<TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady-in-waiting>

They couldn’t afford to bring court ladies with her for a strolling and
chatting.

Altina’s handmaiden Clarice took on such a role.

【Sir Regis has a special place in the Princess’ heart. No one can replace you,
not even me.】

【… Is that so?】

【You don’t need to be with her all the time, but it would be great if you can
set aside some time to talk to her. And not just official matters either.】

【… I see.】

It sound strange, but there was still a need to make idle chatter.

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After all, Altina didn’t want to invade another country in the first place, so it
might be taking a huge toll on her mind. Regis needed to take that into
consideration too.

Regis nodded:

【… Thank you, Clarice. You have always been a big help.】

【No, this isn’t anything much.】

【… But to me, it is a big help.】

【Is that so. Can I look forward to you returning the favor then?】

【Ehh? Returning the favor, huh…】

Regis became wary.

He had been tricked by her in such a way so many times already.

Clarice tilted her head.

【You can’t?】

【No… That’s fine, so what would you like?】

【I hope Regis can tell me one thing.】

【If it’s something I know.】

In response, she said quietly:

【Do you like?】

【Huh?】

【Do you like Ms Jessica?】

【… No.】

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Regis fell into deep thought.

Jessica was a beauty, and had the same hobby of reading like him. Regis
should be able to get along with her for a long time.

From her looks and personality, there might be some soldiers who had fallen
heads over heels for her…

However, his conclusion remained the same.

【… She also has the right to choose.】

After all, Regis had zero confidence in his charms.

【Is that so? Even if she don’t reciprocate the love shown to her, it won’t
affect the burning passion in one’s heart.】

【… Well, that’s true. A book that I can never buy will still be precious to
me.】

【Or rather, you yearn for it even more because it is out of your reach.】

【… There are many stories like that too.】

【So, how does Sir Regis feel about Ms Jessica?】

Hmm, it was troubling.

If it was something recorded in books, he could write it out immediately, but


Regis found it hard to talk about himself. After all, there wasn’t any books
that listed Regis’ feelings.

【… I know she is a charming lady, but I don’t feel any urge to say I like her.
Now that you mentioned it, I had never considered anything related to my
love life.】

Regis answered with an awkward smile, and Clarice sighed:

【Sir Regis is the same as usual.】

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【… Did I fail to meet your expectations?】

【Who knows? By the way, do you like the Princess?】

【Hahh?! W-Why are you asking that all of a sudden?!】

She started to chuckle.

Regis slid down his chair because of the unexpected question, and quickly
adjusted his posture.

【… I have my own position to consider too, please allow me to not answer


that question.】

【I understand. Fufufu… Let’s leave it at that for now.】

Clarice said happily.

Afternoon.

The Imperial Army marching on fort Bassetti started making camp.

A knight in dark red armour came to the headquarters tent and saluted:

【Flying Sparrow Knights commander, First Grade Combat Officer Abidal


Evra, reporting.】

【Thank you for coming.】

Regis returned his salute.

Altina was already seated at the deepest end of the rectangular table.

【How’s your knight corps?】

Abidal Evra stood at attention and said:

【They are a little tired from the long journey, but the morale is high and
everyone thirst to achieve war merits. After all, the riflemen has completely

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taken over the role as the queen of the battlefield.】

【That’s really reliable.】

【Some even mock themselves as the transportation knight corps… They are
really eager to take part in battles other than pursuing routed enemies.】

【Ahaha… They will have the chance to do so.】

The consecutive victories had made everyone more relaxed.

All the key officers of the Fourth Army attended today’s meeting.

Eric who was Altina’s escort officer also stood behind her.

Armed with a rifle, he was famous as a rifleman in the Belgaria Imperial


Army. He felt uneasy about it in the past, but Eric had now gotten used to it,
and had a unique air about him.

The heavy infantry was commanded by Second Grade Combat Officer


Balasko, an old guard from the Beilschmidt Regiment.

His hair was completely white and he was as old as Evrard, but if anyone
dare call him old, he would beat them off in a training match so thoroughly
that they wouldn’t be able to stand steadily. That was how stubborn he was,
although it was a little childish too.

Balasko seemed unhappy.

【The knight corps don’t have it that bad. When the heavy infantry step into
the battlefield, there’s just the enemy’s corpses left.】

The officers around him looked troubled when they heard the old soldier’s
grumbles. And amongst them—

There was someone who laughed heartily.

He was a knight dressed in black armour.

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【Isn’t it nice that we can relax?】

【Hmmp… Who are you?】

【Pardon me, I only linked up with the main unit recently. I’m the commander
of the Black Knights, Third Grade Combat Officer Holger Orjes.】

He was an ex-mercenary that joined the Fourth Army after the fall of Fort
Volks. He used to be a noble, and was capable of commanding a unit.

Balasko actually knew him.

But an old guard like him had a strong obsession towards the Black Knights.

An enemy of Fort Sierck becoming the knight commander wasn’t exactly


happy news.

Balasko glared at him.

【For the troops in Belgaria Empire, honour is gained by defeating the enemy
in combat. What’s the point of marching upon a mountain of corpses?】

【Honour… Honour huh. It’s very important. That’s what I use to think.】

【Ohh? Are you saying my thinking is outdated?】

【Fufufu… I just lack the guts. Surrounded by barbarians, stripped of horse


and lances, and confined to a hole in a snowy mountain for a month. Anyone
who experienced that would turn timid. I can only pray that that is the only
time I fall for a strategy like that.】

【Ughh...】

After hearing Holger’s words, not just Balasko, the others also started to
frown.

The one who came up with that strategy was no other than their strategist.
The old guards still remember how the enemies died to Regis’ tactics.

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I don’t want to meet my end like that— That was how everyone felt.

Sensing all their eyes were on him, Regis scratched his head:

【… I will try my best to not let everyone fall into a terrible situation like that.
The enemy would put the utmost care to think up their strategies too, so I had
to handle them cautiously.】

That’s right! Altina beside him nodded.

【Even if you triump yesterday, it doesn’t mean today’s victory is guaranteed


— right? Regis said that before.】

【Haha… I wasn’t the one who said it.】

It was from a book— before he could say his cliche line, Altina changed the
topic.

【By the way, he is really late! What is he doing?!】

The officer who should be attending this war conference didn’t show even
though the scheduled time has passed.

Holger said with his head low:

【My apologies. As the Thirteenth Army is newly formed, there are many
issues to attend to.】

【That can’t be helped… But that guy will get mad if others are late—】

【Haha, ha… that’s true.】

【Even though he is the first one to eat whenever there’s a celebration feast.】

【He probably get hungry easily.】

【I thought he was looking down on me in the past, but he just does whatever
he wants.】

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Altina pouted.

Well now… Regis soothed Altina.

He wasn’t an enemy, but she couldn’t stop talking when he comes to mind.

Documents were laid out on the table.

【… Let’s start from something simple.】

It was a large map that showed the entire Belgaria Empire.

The pieces used were large too.

Regis started by shifting the pieces from the capital to the east and north.

【… After Emperor Latreille reorganized the military, he sent them to the east
and north. And also, our forces southward invasion.】

The piece that represented Altina’s army was placed inside the Hispania
Empire, which was their current location.

【… As for the west, as the Navy is still rebuilding, there isn’t any offensive
in that direction. Even so, the Empire is fighting on three fronts.】

From the grand scheme of things, this was a poor decision.

Fighting on two fronts was already a taboo, and yet they were fighting on
three fronts.

Altina rest her cheeks on her palm.

【Can we win?】

【… We are at war with Langobalt Kingdom to the north. As we captured


their king in the earlier battle, their king’s brother is commanding the army
now. From the looks of things, it’s just a matter of time before the Empire
wins.】

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【Ehh? That’s unexpectedly straightforward.】

【… Well, the Langobalt army already lost their top generals and elite knight
corps.】

【Aren’t you responsible for that?】

【No, it’s the Imperial First Army who did that.】

That was the official statement.

Well, never mind… Altina shrugged.

【And the east?】

【…There are many small nations to the east, and they formed an alliance
centered around the Estaburg Kingdom in defiance of the Belgaria Empire.】

Shortly before this, there was a brief moment of peace when the late Emperor
took his Sixth consort Johaprecia Octovia from the east.

【… As their First Prince died in an earlier battle, and the aged King is
confined to bed, the Second Prince is running the show now. However, they
are already negotiating the terms of surrender.】

Holger said in a tone as if he was discussing rumours:

【May I ask something? Did our strategist destroy the formidable Estaburg
main forces without even stepping into the eastern front?】

【Huh? No… the battle is won by the combined effort of the Seventh Army
and the Fourth Army detachment.】

【Fufufu… General Coignieres of the Seventh Army and my unit merely


carried out the schemes in accordance to the strategist’s letter.】

【No no, your group are the one who chose the most effective strategy from
the few I suggested… Or rather, the one who put it into action deserves more
credit than the one who merely suggested the idea.】

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Holger nodded:

【Since Sir Strategist said so, that must be true.】

【… Yes. Erm… Regarding the eastern front, shortly after the battle at the
Estaburg Kingdom concluded, the Seven Nation Army and a part of the
Fourth Army… which was actually a mixture of the former Second Army,
the Black Knights and new recruits formed the Thirteenth Army and came to
the southern war front.】

At this moment, someone entered the headquarters.

It was a knight in dark armour.

His angry roar blew the peaceful atmosphere away, making the place as
tensed as a battlefield.

【Hey Regis! There’s not enough meat!】

He was the Black Knight, Jerome Jean de Beilschmidt.

Regis backed away.

【W-Wait… there should be adequate supply.】

【How many times do you want me to say this!? Troops that don’t eat meat
won’t have the strength to fight. It’s pointless no matter how many trash you
send to the battlefield, if they didn’t eat meat!】

It was mean to call them trash— but the truth was, the quality of the troops
were substandard.

The Black Knights might be elites, but the others were either remnants of
defeated regiments or fresh recruits. And they just finished a long march to
get here.

Compared to losses from casualties, they lost more people to illness and
desertion.

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Leaving Jerome’s word choices aside, his idea made sense.

Regis gave up.

【… I will look into it.】

【Hmmp… If you can get it done, then do it before I yell at you!】

At this moment, another person ran in:

【Hahh… Hahh… Hahh… Why didn’t you wait for me?!】

It was Marion.

Jerome looked away annoyedly.

【Because you walk too slow.】

【It’s all because you didn’t come back even when it’s time for the war
conference…!!】

She only remembered she was in the presence of the Généralissime after
yelling that. Marion said with her head low:

【My sincere apologies. The commander and assistant commander of the


Thirteenth Army reporting in.】

Jerome was appointed the commander of the Thirteenth Army.

And Marion was his deputy.

Altina smiled wryly:

【It seemed you are enjoying your new assignment, Jerome.】

【Ku, are you mocking me now that you are the Généralissime? Want to test if
my skills have deteriorated?】

【How intriguing— I won’t run out of stamina this time.】

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The two glared at each other.

Regis mediated:

【Let’s stop this, we still have a fort to attack.】

He said as he laid out a new map on the table.

It was a map of Fort Bassetti and the surrounding terrain.

Jerome grunted:

【Hmmp… You had gotten a little smarter. When the Princess and I stared at
each other in the past, your face look so green that I thought you would
faint.】

【… That’s true.】

It wasn’t that long ago either.

That was last year.

【You have more guts now. But just a little bit more.】

Is he praising me?

【… Although I didn’t want to be a soldier. I just want to be a librarian.】

Regis shook his head nostalgically, and places the pieces on the map.

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Chapter 2: Fort Bassetti
Hispania Empire General Freij Louis González was troubled.

【There won’t be any reinforcements?】

【His Majesty’s edict is “repel the enemy with the forces you have on hand”】

The young knight relaying the message bowed his head low.

— Even if you say that, it is impossible!

Freij cursed in his heart, but didn’t let it show on his face.

He didn’t know how the other countries were…

But in this nation, one’s conviction would greatly affect his reputation in
society.

It didn’t matter how perfect one acted, if there was any question of his loyalty
to the Monarch or his faith in God, he would lose his current standing in an
instant.

Freij replied:

【Which means, His Majesty has full confidence in us.】

【Yes Sir!】

【His Majesty deemed that our forces are sufficient to defeat the Belgaria
Empire.】

【That’s right.】

【I understand. I give thanks for the trust His Majesty placed on me. May God
bless our army.】

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【May God bless our army.】

The young knight put his hands together before his chest.

He then saluted and left the commander’s office.

Hah, Freij sighed. He pulled open the curtain partition in the room, and
looked inside.

【Mariam… your guess is spot on again.】

There was a small table and chair inside, and a young girl moved a piece on a
chessboard.

【……】

Her left hand held a piece as she wrote with a pen in her right hand on a
paper.

『I heard everything, Dear Father.』

Mariam Louis Jiménez couldn’t speak.

<Sidenote, Louis is the family name of her father, and Jiménez is the family
name of her mother. That is the naming convention in the Hispania Empire.>

She was born from a distinguished military family, and was beautiful. By
right, she should undergo bridal training and marry early.

However, she was born mute.

Those who couldn’t sing the holy scriptures were considered ominous. If she
was a commoner, she would have been abandoned as a baby.

However, she was the first child Freij had, and he was getting old, so she
wasn’t abandoned.

Freij raised her in an inconspicuous mansion, and she managed to survive


despite her handicap.

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As an army general, Freij was seldom home, and his wife was busy with
religious activities. Seeing her child born with a handicap, she devote herself
even harder into her religion.

In the end, Mariam spent most of her time with her grandfather, a retired
soldier.

Her grandfather was a famous general known as the modern 《War God》. He
was a man who only talked about military subjects, but to Mariam, he was
the world. She stayed with him until he died of old age.

<TL: 軍神 https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%BB%8D%E7%A5%9E >

Mariam wrote:

『Because His Majesty fears Belgaria’s steamships.』

As she learned to write from her grandfather, her handwriting resembled his.

Freij even wondered at times if his daughter was possessed by the spirit of
her grandfather.

【Even if he fears the steamships, if Fort Bassetti falls, then Belgaria can
attack the capital directly!】

『That’s right, and that’s when our opponent will show their weakness.
Belgaria had to consider the situation in the future too. So they would want to
take down the fort with minimal losses, and restrain themselves when
attacking.』

【They bought cannons with them, won’t they use it to attack?】

『The north and southern roads are within range of our navy. They wouldn’t
want to engage our navy in a shootout. The east is the sea, and the west is a
dense forest.』

【Hmm… That means they will come through the forest.】

Freij concluded.

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Mariam moved her pieces as she wrote:

『That’s what everyone will think, but the Belgaria commander won’t do
that.』

【Why do you think so?】

『I understand the competency of the enemy commander from the previous


battle. He is flexible and thorough in his thinking. This might be the work of
the strategist though.』

Freij frowned as he thought about his defeat yesterday.

【I never thought that the Belgaria new cannons are that powerful. That’s
beyond my imagination.】

『When the enemy saw our deployment on the battlefield, they didn’t change
their formation or execute any countermeasures. It’s obvious they already had
a plan.』

Sigh… Mariam sighed.

Her action resembled her grandfather, which made Freij feel complicated.

If he brought his daughter onto the battlefield, he could have avoided that
complete failure.

However, Mariam was mute and lack stamina. She wasn’t trained as a soldier
and couldn’t ride a horse. She could ride in a carriage when traveling on a
road, it would be difficult for her to enter the forest.

【Enough about yesterday. What are your thoughts on today? Will they come
from the west?】

『They won’t.』

【Hmm…】

Freij wasn’t retarded, he knew that the only route left was the main road.

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They didn’t have any military vessels, so they wouldn’t attack by sea.

『Night raid. Belgaria will definitely attack at night.』

【Hmmm… I get it. I will get the troops ready.】

Freij pulled open the curtain and left the room—

And went out to the corridor.

【Guards!】

A soldier standing by walked over immediately at his beckoning.

【Sir!】

【It’s a night raid. Belgaria will definitely attack under the cover of darkness.】

Freij said decisively, as if it was his idea.

The young adjutant opened his eyes wide.

【Did Lady Mariam…】

【Hmm? Yes, that’s right.】

He could see the soldier looking relieved, but Freij didn’t admonish him.

Even when he heard the words—

【Ohh, the God child had spoken.】

— Freij stubbornly ignored it.

No matter what Mariam said, he was the one who issued the orders.

【Quickly! Light more torches, assign more night watchers to guard against
night raids. Tell the navy admiral to be more vigilant.】

【Yes Sir!】

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The adjutant then dashed off.

Freij also has his pride, and was unhappy about the nickname of being the
“Message pigeon of the God child”.

However, the fort had 15,000 men, while the invading Belgaria army
numbered 40,000.

He won’t have any reinforcement.

Now wasn’t the time to be headstrong.

Three nights later, they operation began—

The cloud was so dense that the moonlight couldn’t shine through.

The forest was pitch dark, and you couldn’t even see your own hand.

Belgaria soldiers suppressed their breathing. They were here since day time,
and didn’t move at all.

Their surrounding was completely dark.

There was a sudden bang. It was the cannon boom that the Belgaria army
used to signal the start of an operation.

The troops turned tense.

【It’s time.】

They used their glints in the darkness as they practiced.

The torches were lit.

The burning fire illuminated their surroundings.

Their primal fear had been eased, but they were afraid because of their
rational logic.

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Lighting torches in the dark would be very prominent, and get the attention of
the Hispania fleet.

However, this was in the forest, and not the road, so they were out of cannon
range.

But what if the fleet sail closer to the shore?

And of course, the guards in Fort Bassetti would notice too. It was outside
cannon range, but what if they charge out of the fort?

There were less than ten people in the forest, not even one platoon.

—If the enemy attack, they were dead.

He was too terrified to even speak.

【Did that strategist think this through seriously?】

— That strategist was a mad man.

At the same time, a few soldiers rowing a boat was thinking the exact same
thing.

Silently.

They rowed out into the dark sea in a river boat, into the waters where the
Hispania Empire’s fleet was.

The ships had lights to avoid running into each other.

As the ships’ position could be seen, their team could just avoid them…

However, there was no telling if a sharp eyed lookout would spot them, or the
moonlight would shine through the gaps of the clouds.

There might even be keen eared sailors who could hear the oars.

The back of the troops on the boat were drenched in cold sweat.

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From the sea, Fort Bassetti was as bright as a fire that attract moths. It wasn’t
a city, but there was still a lot of people living there.

The bright light illuminated the area around it, as if they were on guard
against night raid.

However, they did account for the possibility of a long war, and didn’t light
any excess torches.

The cannon they heard earlier served as a starting signal.

Shortly after, two light appeared in the forest.

—What did that mean?

The strategist Regis d'Auric was seated at the very fore of the boat.

【Alright, this spot will do.】

When he heard what the strategist said, the squad leader gave the order to
【Stop.】

The soldiers couldn’t see the hand signals, and using whistles would be too
loud and might draw the attention of the enemy vessel.

So the order to 【Stop】 was passed down the rowers one by one.

The strategist held a strange tool in his hand.

It wasn’t a rifle or a crossbow. There were notches carved on the tool.

【14, 5, 20, 3…】

His escort noted down the numbers he read. However, it wasn’t clear if he
could read his words given how dark it was.

A soldier pointed at the land.

【There’s light.】

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The initial cannon fire was followed by lights appearing in the forest. It
wasn’t clear what that meant.

After that, there were lights on the roads too. They were soldiers holding
torches charging towards Fort Bassetti.

【The vessels are moving!】

The soldier who shouted unwittingly were beaten up by others around him
until he fell silent.

The Hispania Empire vessels slowly drifted towards the shore.

And opened fire.

They were smaller than the Belgaria warships, but their cannons still pack
quite a punch.

The strategist nodded.

【… As I expected, compared to the 《40 Allen cannon》 we brought with us,


they have further range. The decks of the warships are quite high too.】

The escort responsible for taking notes asked:

【Sir Regis, can we attack the fort without using torches?】

Regis pondered about it.

【… If the unit moved in complete darkness, it will be terrible if they collided


and fell. It will be fine if the moon is bright, but that would give the enemy a
clearer view too.】

【But that’s better than being bombarded by the ships’ cannons, right?】

【… Regrettably… if the fort shoots fire arrows, the naval fleet will know the
Belgaria army’s position. Even if we forcefully attack in darkness, we will
still be bombarded by the warships.】

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【I see.】

The assault force would be bombarded one sidedly by the fleet before they
even draw near, and suffer heavy losses.

The soldiers knew that very well…

And didn’t understand why they went out to sea in a small boat.

【Sir Regis, it’s getting dangerous.】

【… Alright then. I had seen enough, let’s go back.】

The squad leader ordered 【turned right】 to convey his instructions faster.

The soldiers onboard weren’t sailors, so they didn’t know the professional
term like full right rudder.

They quickly sailed out of the waters filled with enemy vessels.

Was there any meaning in doing this?

【I don’t get it.】

— Even so, the strategist definitely had a plan. Definitely!

If they didn’t put their faith in this, it would turn into a grudge.

Was the strategist really mad?

It was a moonless night.

The soldiers ran towards Fort Bassetti with torches in hand.

And of course, the fleet opened fire at them.

They were off the mark in the beginning, but the shots were slowly getting
closer.

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It hit the troops.

Several people were sent flying, hit by debris and screamed.

Their bodies were torn into bits.

But they were still far from the fort.

Normally, no matter how ferocious the shelling they faced, the attackers had
to assault with even more numbers to take the fort. They had to charge with
more people than the defenders could kill.

However, only a hundred men received the orders to charge.

They wondered if there was any strategies, but before they even shot one
arrow at the fort, the retreat bugle was sounded.

That strategist must be mad.

Freij pushed open the door and entered the room.

【Mariam, are you finally up!?】

【……】

His daughter was looking sleepily out the window. She was still sitting on her
bed.

On the table at the side was breakfast that was placed there two hours ago.

She picked up a churro and started eating.

<TL:
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%81%E3%83%A5%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B9>

【Mmmh, mmhh.】

Freij said as he shook his hands:

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【Don’t eat on the bed! Eat after you changed your clothes! And get off your
bed!】

【……】

Mariam slowly got off the bed with the churro in her mouth.

She was wearing a pyjamas common in the Hispania Empire, a one piece
dress that was thin and loose. It was worn by men and women by putting it
over their heads, but there were no pants. The collar and sleeves could be
adjusted in accordance to the change in temperature.

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Mariam’s pyjamas had rolled up to her waist, exposing the lower half of her
body.

Freij shielded his eyes with his hand.

She was already of marriageable age.

And had a very feminine body.

Hence, when she acted crudely without any shame befitting a maiden her age,
her father felt uneasy about her future.

She then started taking off her pyjamas. It was troubling that she didn’t think
of her father as a member of the opposite gender, and didn’t she feel any
shame at all?

Freij started regretting that he dumped the responsibility of educating her to


her grandfather.

— She was just like an eight year old boy.

Although she was already sixteen.

Mariam reached for her blouse unhappily. She prefer clothes without buttons,
the type she could just pull over her head.

Freij said resignedly:

【Put on your underwear.】

【……】

She took pen, ink and paper from the side of the bed:

『Men don’t wear underwear.』

【You are a woman! And you are already old enough for marriage.】

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『Father, you are too stubborn on tradition.』

【You are the one who lacks common sense! Enough, put on your clothes!
You want to spend the day naked?!】

『An interesting proposition.』

【Huh?!】

Freij glared at his rebellious daughter.

She shrugged, and picked up her underwear.

She still had some shame in her, and turned around to cover her breasts like a
bashful mimosa.

Freij wasn’t interested in watching his daughter change, and cast his gaze out
the window.

【Last night, the Belgaria Empire finally attacked.】

After putting on her blouse, Mariam started writing with one hand.

『I’m mute, but I’m not deaf. The cannons are so loud that I couldn’t sleep.』

【Yes, that’s true.】

None of the soldiers in this fort slept properly.

『Any losses?』

【No, because the Belgaria army charged at us with torches in hand. We


repelled them easily. The fleet cannons blew them away, and they retreated
without even coming near the fort.】

【……】

Mariam fell into deep thought.

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Freij glanced at her, then looked out the window again.

【Wear the bottom half too.】

【……】

【Hey, Mariam?】

She ignored what her father said, and started writing.

『The enemy is the elite of Belgaria. The Généralissime that defeated High
Brittania. Wasting the lives of her men like this looks suspicious.』

【She will fail sometimes too. Our enemy is just human, not god.】

『Dear father, the commander should always consider the worst case
scenario.』

【Hmm… No matter how I think about it, the Belgaria soldiers all died in
vain. Our losses are just oil and ammunition.】

『Our supplies?』

【For something similar to last night, we can keep it up for a month.】

Freij suddenly thought of something.

Speaking of which…

【There are very few corpses on the road. Maybe the Belgaria forces are
smaller than we expected.】

『Maybe it’s a feint night raid.』

Hah! He finally realized it.

【I get it! Belgaria’s plan is to attack with small numbers every night, and
make us exhaust our ammunition!】

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『NO』

He was refuted by a single word from his daughter, which made Freij turn
stiff.

He said through gritted teeth:

【How can you be so sure? It’s plausible, right】

『The troops won’t follow such a retarded strategy.』

【Ugh…】

Indeed, if the soldiers were ordered to charge to make the enemy expend their
ammunition, there was no telling how the soldier who received such an order
would react.

Retarded commands could only be executed forcefully once.

If they kept it up indefinitely, morale would plummet.

Mariam continued writing.

『The Belgaria army’s plan is still the same, like what we deduced a few days
earlier. The situation didn’t change, so it’s expected— They want to take this
fort with minimal losses. We can’t ignore this precondition.』

Charging to make the enemy waste ammunition was a battle of attrition that
goes contrary to this plan.

Freij understood that.

However, he still couldn’t figure out his opponent’s intention.

【If they had a plan… it would be to make us numb to the danger. They want
to make us relax by sending non-stop waves of fake night raids, and launch
the real attack when we let our guard down. Is that it?】

『That’s much better than the joke earlier.』

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【Ugh...】

He was speaking with his daughter, but he felt like a cadet in the Military
Academy waiting for a trainer to grade his answer.

Freij ended the conversation.

He said with a wave of his hand:

【Well, in any case, we just need to be wary of a night raid. We won’t relax
our vigilance either. So put on your skirt! And go to church, it’s almost time
for mass.】

【……】

She wanted to continue writing, but put down her pen after a short pause. She
sighed and picked up her skirt.

Freij turned around.

—Sigh, just what is my daughter thinking?

If she was really a “God child”, then God must have a hard time caring for
this kid.

The way the father and daughter sighed really resemble each other.

The Belgaria Empire performed the night raid again and again. Aside from
nights when the moon was clear without any clouds, they did so three times.

And on the fifth evening—

The commander of the infantry, Second Grade Combat Officer Balasko


barged into headquarters with his face flushed.

【You want us to charge the fort tonight too?!】

Regis laid planks onto the floor, making the place into a large table. He then
laid paper as big as a carpet onto it, strung them together with threads, and

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wrote numbers on it.

【Ah, don’t step there.】

【Ohh…】

Balasko took a step back.

But he was as aggressive as before.

【Sir Strategist! Please explain what is going on! My men didn’t train so hard
to conduct such retarded night raids!】

【Of course.】

【If you think so too, then explain what your strategy is!】

Regis looked at Balasko.

And considered it.

【… There’s no need, we have moved on to the next stage.】

【You don’t trust me?!】

Regis stopped writing.

He looked at Balasko while squatting:

【… I think you are the one who doesn’t trust me.】

【Ah, no…】

Balasko took a step back.

He was the officer with the most years of experience under his belt. He had
seen Regis’ strategies with his own eyes so far. He believes that Regis was a
capable strategist.

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He said tremblingly:

【B-But, sending the soldiers to their death without any explanation… I can’t
take that anymore.】

Regis put down his pen.

He then stood up and looked at Balasko in the eye.

【… I’m sorry, but you have to tell them it’s the strategist’s orders. After all,
the troops might get taken prisoner.】

【That’s true… I won’t tell my subordinates, so can you share the plan with
me?】

【Hmm… but since you won’t be telling your men, then there’s no need to tell
you about the plan, correct?】

【Ughh… I see.】

At this moment, the headquarters’ drapes were pulled open.

The one who entered was the young girl with vermillion hair— Altina.

She must have heard the conversation from outside. She looked briefly at
Regis, then turned towards Balasko.

【You are dissatisfied about something?】

【Ah, no…】

【I know how you feel. But Regis is doing this for your sake.】

Balasko couldn’t stand it anymore:

【If it’s for my sake, then please tell me the plan!】

Altina admonished him:

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【If you know the plan, and is faced with a situation where you have to send
your men to certain death, your attitude towards them will change, right?】

【Ehh? That’s…】

【Right now, you don’t know what Regis is thinking— so you are on the same
side as the troops. That’s what you tell them too, correct?】

Balasko nodded:

【You are right, Mdm.】

【But what if you learn of the plan? And you can’t tell them? Despite
knowing the plan, you can only order them to move out without explaining
anything to them. What do you think the troops would think of such an
officer?】

【Ugh…?!】

He thought about how his subordinates would feel.

And fell silent.

Regis scratched his head.

【… You will reveal your attitude if you think that, which is the troubling
part.】

Altina said to Regis with a similar tone:

【Don’t keep playing the role of the villain. Not everyone can conceal their
emotions completely.】

Her actions felt really mature.

It was true that if people get too emotional, they would act irrationally.

Maybe I was too anxious— Regis thought.

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When he realized the girl under his tutelage was teaching him, he felt a little
surprised and moved.

The corner of Regis’ eased naturally.

【… Mdm Généralissime is right… Concealing the fact that there is even a


plan is going too far.】

【That’s right.】

Balasko asked:

【As expected, all the night raids so far are a part of a grand scheme the
strategist thought up, correct?】

Regis nodded.

Although he wanted to refute the term ‘thought up’.

However, he knew there was no point in saying he ‘has no confidence’.

【… Since I already told you, please keep it a secret. We can’t let the troops
realize that everything they are doing is part of a scheme.】

Balasko nodded seriously and saluted:

【Yes Sir!】

His face was filled with resolve, and there wasn’t any doubt in his eyes.

Unfortunately, just this change in facial expression was enough to tell the
troops that there was a plan.

Regis told him a part of the plan, and Balasko understood it despite being
surprised.

He then left the headquarters.

Regis then looked down at the map.

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【… Well, it’s time to advance the plan to the next stage.】

He disclosed some of the content, but the enemy shouldn’t have seen through
this plan.

Altina flicked her hair.

【Then I will sleep for a while. It’s a night operation, right?】

【Yes.】

Regis remembered what Clarice said.

He wanted to chat with her a little, but he couldn’t make any time for the two
of them to be alone.

She waved her hand.

【I’m not a kid anymore, and I won’t get in Regis’ way.】

【… Is that so? Then will you stay in the headquarters tonight to issue
commands?】

Altina said with a smile:

【I. Re. Fuse.】

That was the only thing that didn’t change— Regis shrugged.

Tonight was a new moon.

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There was no moon light.

The cloud was so thick that the stars weren’t visible.

As if dark drapes had been pulled over the night sky.

The weather was on their side.

However, when Regis looked out at the sea—

He felt a chill down his spine.

【That light is…?!】

Up until yesterday, there was just the Hispania fleet there, with just enough
light to stop them from colliding with each other.

There were six vessels in total.

However, it was different tonight.

The ocean was filled with lots of light, too many to count.

The enemy navy couldn’t have increased by ten folds. Then what was that?

Regis stood up.

At this moment, he could hear footsteps.

It was the soft clinking of light armour, someone was approaching in the
dark. The lantern in the tent shone on the blonde hair of the visitor.

【Sir Regis!】

【Ah… Eric.】

Regis only knew who it was after hearing his voice. It was too dark after all.
He could only see Eric’s face clearly as he got nearer.

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Eric pointed at the sea urgently:

【There are lots of scouting vessels in the ocean! They had lit their torches
and became wary of the situation around them!】

【What?!】

Regis’ heart skipped a bit.

—They saw through my plan?!

He felt his hands shaking.

The plan was finally ready after sacrificing so much…

He looked carefully at Fort Bassetti. In the pitch darkness, he could only see
the torches that had been lit on the fort.

He couldn’t see anything else.

【… And the road!? Did they illuminate the road too?!】

【There are no abnormalities there. No reports had come in, so I’m not sure of
the situation over there.】

— Should he abort the mission?

Regis gulped.

He looked towards Eric.

Eric was resting his rifle on the ground and kneeling on one knee. He was
looking up and waiting for Regis to speak.

If the plan was seen through.

They might suffer catastrophic losses.

His head was a mess.

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Regis squeezed out his voice.

【… The mission...】

At this moment, footsteps approached again.

The creaking sounded like an heavy infantry man carrying a cannon.

The figure of the vermillion haired crimson eyed girl was illuminated by the
light from the oil lamp. On her back was the giant sword 《Grand Tonnerre
Quatre》, which was taller than she was.

【It’s almost time, right?】

【Altina.】

She opened her eyes wide at Regis’ feeble voice.

【What’s the matter, Regis?!】

【… They saw through our plan… No, but… if they did saw through it...】

Regis was so frantic that he couldn’t even speak in complete sentences.

Like she said, it was almost time to commence the operation.

Should they abort?

They could still inform the land units in time.

However, the naval units had already left.

Regis felt dizzy, staggered, and almost fell over.

Altina dashed over.

And grabbed his shoulder.

【Pull yourself together!】

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【?!】

【I believe in you, Regis!】

It was dim, but he could see her eyes from this distance.

There was a faint light shining in her crimson eyes.

Regis breathed in.

His chaotic thinking gradually cleared up.

【… I’m sorry.】

【Tell me what you are thinking.】

Regis looked out towards the sea.

【… Not just the Hispania Empire, every navy in the world has an
independent command system that differs from the land forces. I can’t tell if
the naval commander is scouting for enemies on his own initiative, or they
are doing it in concert with the Fort Bassetti forces.】

【You can’t tell?】

Regis shook his head.

【… I can’t. No, it’s fine either way. While I’m hesitating if it’s A or B, I
would overlook C. And in the end, there was no need to worry in the first
place— that’s a common thing that happens in stories.】

Since the enemy had the means of sharing information internally, it didn’t
matter who initiated it.

The sea surveillance had been increased.

There wasn’t any movement from the fort, but they must be on guard too.

【… Did they see through my plan?】

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【Really?】

Seeing the frowning Altina, Regis shook his head:

【… If that is the case, they won’t be increasing the patrols at sea. They would
execute a more effective countermeasures. They didn’t realized the plan, but
the enemy knew that I’m scheming something out at sea.】

That was probably their gut feeling.

After all, if his opponent knew what his plan was, they wouldn’t be using
such a method.

【Is it serious?】

【… Regrettably, it is very serious.】

【Ehh?】

She was troubled.

Regis needed to analyze things with a calm mind.

【… My plan is scheduled to start from the sea.】

Altina and Eric gaze out to the ocean.

They saw the lights of the fleet’s patrol vessels.

That was the only thing they saw.

【Where’s the deployment of our forces?】

【… We were planning to dump oil onto the sea and set it on fire. But from
the looks of things, that wouldn’t be possible.】

【That’s true.】

Given how strong the enemy surveillance net was, such a task was

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impossible.

【… If I can’t execute the initial plan, the entire operation would have to be
aborted.】

【How could it be...】

【Regis’ plan failed?!】

Altina and Eric looked shocked.

Regis asked himself:

Was his judgement correct? Was he confused or acting timid?

The battlefield was always tense, and filled with irrational uneasiness.

Despite all that, he still had to make a decision.

Eric asked:

【Should I send the message to abort the operation?】

Regis was about to nod, but he stopped himself.

【… No, I will do it.】

He had to take responsibility.

Altina pointed to the road, where the infantry was mustered and awaiting the
signal to begin the operation.

【In that case, I’m responsible too. I will tell that to everyone.】

【… The one who failed is me.】

【And I’m the one who delegate the mission to you.】

【But…】

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【Let’s hurry up!】

She ended the argument and walked forward.

She had a heavy sword on her back that even a grown man would have
trouble lifting, but her strides were as easy as ever.

【W-Wait!】

However, she wasn’t someone who would stop if he called out to her. Regis
had no choice but to chase after her.

Eric walked right beside him.

【Everybody will understand, Sir Regis.】

— Would they?

If the operation was aborted, those who were still alive would be forgiving.

But what about the dead?

The many soldiers who died in preparation of this plan, would they
understand?

Regis felt nauseous, and covered his mouth.

He was too naive!

Where did he go wrong?

Did the enemy commander execute this countermeasure based on his


instincts?

If that was so, then it was his mistake for giving them the time for them to act
on their instincts.

【… This is my fault.】

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At this point, Regis saw a fiery light from the corner of his eyes.

The light made him stop unconsciously.

The air was shaking.

【?!】

The three of them looked out at the sea.

Thirty minutes ago—

The Belgaria Imperial Fourth Army’s 9th infantry platoon sailed out into the
sea.

They split themselves onto twelve boats used for river crossings.

All for the sake of completing their mission.

Their boats had oil barrels in tow. These barrels were incredibly heavy on
land, but surprisingly, they float easily on the water.

The plan was to drift close to the Hispania Empire’s naval fleet by flowing
with the current.

The deputy platoon leader on look out duty said tensely in a quiet voice:

【Platoon leader! It’s an enemy patrol ship!】

The rowing soldiers noticed it too, and turned tense.

【What are those?】【They are increasing in numbers…】【Are they the enemy


vessels…?】

They were operating covertly, so the platoon leader couldn’t shout at them.
Instead, he kicked the few soldiers near him, which shut them up effectively.

The situation had changed.

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It was clear that this was beyond the scope of their plan.

They sailed out last night too.

With the strategist on board, they looked from the sea as a unit performed a
meaningless charge on land— as they did something that seemed pointless at
sea.

Back then, there were only large warships out in the ocean.

The deputy leader asked:

【platoon leader, did the enemy discerned our intentions?】

【Maybe.】

【In that case, we should abort our operation.】

He was right. Under such close surveillance and with oil barrels in tow, going
near was as good as suicide.

However, the platoon leader heard a little bit of the entire operation from
commander Balasko.

He couldn’t grasp the whole picture from the bits of information.

But there was definitely a plan. A plan that would allow their forces to
capture Fort Bassetti with minimal losses!

【We must carry out the mission tonight.】

【Platoon leader?】

【This operation has to be executed in a dark night— I heard that from


commander Balasko. In that case, isn’t tonight our only chance?】

【That’s true… But the strategist is an incredible man. Even if this plan fails,
he will definitely come up with another one.】

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【Including the preparation time, it will take us a few more days.】

Forty thousand soldiers took part in this campaign.

That was a massive army.

The food, daily necessities, medical supplies and other resources expended
was comparable to a city in the borders.

Their supply line was stretched so long that it took more than a week for the
supplies to reach from the southernmost stronghold of Sembione city.

On top of the wagons transporting the goods, the supplies needed to be


escorted by thousands of soldiers.

For a large scale invasion campaign, it was likely for battles to occur along
the supply route.

The more resources they expend, the closer the Belgaria Empire would be to
defeat.

The platoon leader said determinedly:

【Begin the operation.】

Ehh?! The deputy leader opened his eyes wide.

It was the same for the other soldiers.

How could this be— Intense feeling of discontent started spreading.

The platoon leader nodded and said:

【I know how ridiculous this order sounds, but if we back off now, we won’t
reach the Hispania capital. This campaign will fail.】

【B-But…】

【We are soldiers of the Belgaria Empire. We are here on the order of Mdm

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Généralissime. If we pull back here, how can we explain to our comrades in
the other units? Do we tell them that we ran away because there are too many
enemies?】

【Ughh?!】

The men looked at each other.

This was an unexpected situation— they wouldn’t get reprimanded even if


they retreat.

However, their honour would be another matter.

【The sabotage mission this time is the key to taking the fort, and the crucial
piece of this campaign. We had been given the most important mission. Or do
you want to be mocked by others as the Ninth Platoon that ran away because
‘there seem to be too many enemies’?】

The expressions of the soldiers changed.

Fighting spirit was burning in their eyes.

Even though they could only see the faces of their brethren right before them
in this darkness.

The deputy leader said:

【Let’s charge in, platoon leader!】

No one objected to that.

【We are out at sea, but the things we need to do is the same. Let’s charge in
and give them a sound strike.】

【Yes!】

【Okay, all units, forward!】

【!!】

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The men started rowing.

The platoon leader used a special lantern (which was covered with boards
and would only cast a light in a specific direction), and signalled the other
boats.

Soldiers from the other squad must be confused by this unexpected turn of
events.

However, no one fell out.

Most of the men in the Ninth Platoon were veterans from the Beilschmidt
Border Regiment.

— Compared to the harsh training under the Black Knight Jerome, those
Hispania Empire guys drifting in the sea is nothing!

They didn’t scream ferociously, but the troops held their oars like they were
gripping their pikes, and rowed the boat forward.

Twelve boats sailed towards the spot designated by the strategist after three
days of research.

However, there weren’t any signposts out in the dark sea. It was so dark they
couldn’t even see their own feet.

The only thing they could see were the lit torches.

Light from the torches on the Hispania fleet.

And the light from Fort Bassetti.

The stationary fort was used as a lighthouse to determine their current


position.

The deputy leader said:

【It should be around here, right?】

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【Yes.】

The enemy’s patrol vessel were making their rounds. They didn’t to notice
the Belgarian’s presence yet.

The platoon leader ordered his men:

【Dump the oil.】

The soldier at the back of the boat pulled the tow line over. The sudden
splashing sound gave them the chills.

He pulled out the cork out of the barrel.

If this was in the day, the dark oil polluting the blue sea would be noticed
right away.

However, in this dark night, they couldn’t even see their own fingers.

The oil had a stench though.

But that stench would be mixed into the water.

According to the plan, the oil from the barrel would drift under the enemy
fleet in an hour.

They needed to wait that long.

【……】

The deputy leader suddenly stood up.

【A patrol craft is coming our way! Platoon leader, we have been spotted!】

【Damn it! Cut the ropes, retreat at full speed!】

A soldier sawed off the rope towing the oil barrel.

The entire crew rowed away with all their might.

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However, this was a human powered boat manned by soldiers from the land.

A small sail ship was much faster than them.

The patrol craft gradually gained on them.

【A boat! Belgarian soldiers!】

An enemy soldier yelled:

The platoon leader never learned Hispanian, but it had the same root as
Belgarian, so their difference was on the level of different dialects.

So he understood what the enemy said.

But that wasn’t anything to be happy about.

【Shoot! Don’t let them escape!】

【Bastards… quick, they are gaining on us!】

The deputy leader turned and said with a voice of despair:

【Platoon leader, they are shooting fire arrows!】

【What!?】

The arrows flew over.

However, they weren’t accurate enough to hit the small boat. The fire arrow
fell into the dark sea.

Into the sea covered in black oil.

Suddenly, their surroundings became as bright as day.

The sea was on fire.

The fire spread onto the oil barrel that still contained some black oil.

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It exploded.

In a stroke of fortune, that barrel was near the pursuing patrol craft. The
shockwave hit the craft hard.

It didn’t capsize, but the sail caught fire.

It was a small wooden sail ship.

Once it caught on fire, extinguishing it was impossible.

In the end, the sailors on the Hispania patrol craft was burned by their own
fire arrows, and had to leap into the blazing sea.

The other patrol crafts abandoned their pursuit.

But the boats of the Ninth platoon were also in trouble. They were literally
caught in a sea of flames.

The sorching air burned their lungs.

It was too harsh for these inexperienced rowers to continue while holding
their breath.

The boat and oars covered in oil caught on fire too.

Even the parts submerged in the water started burning, staying on board was
certain death.

【Jump into the water!】

The platoon leader ordered.

His men abandoned the boat and jumped overboard.

They already had the resolve of being surrounded in a sea of flame.

【Fwah?!】

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As they waddled in the sea, they realized that it wasn’t hot at all. They
appeared to have sailed past the oil covered region before abandoning their
boat.

The deputy leader broke out of the surface too.

【Fwah! Hah—… Hah—…】

【You alive?】

【Yes! You made it too, platoon leader!】

【… I’m not sure if I’m fine though. Maybe my head isn’t working right.】

【Huh?】

The platoon leader gestured his deputy to look towards the land.

The deputy looked and said:

【What’s wrong?】

【Do you see anything strange?】

【Yeah… There’s two of them.】

【As I suspect.】

There were two lights sources that had the pattern of Fort Bassetti. They were
seeing two forts before them.

An explosion came from the sea.

And the ocean started burning.

Regis stopped unconsciously, and stared at that scene.

【… How could it be?!】

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Altina who had walked slightly ahead turned back and said:

【Isn’t things proceeding just as planned?!】

【T-There are some differences… but pretty similar to the plan.】

【Then it’s all good!】

【… But it couldn’t be. There are so many patrol crafts in the sea, so they
couldn’t have completed their mission without being detected.】

Regis took out his pocket watch.

But he couldn’t see clearly.

It would be fine if he was near a tent with gas lamps, however, there wasn’t
any light around him right now to see the hands on the watch.

The sea might be burning, but that didn’t mean the light would reach the
land.

Altina asked:

【What is it?】

【… I want to check the time. I don’t think it’s time to begin the operation
yet.】

【That’s right, I think it’s too early too.】

She didn’t have a watch, but her sense of time was very accurate and reliable.

As expected, this was earlier than planned.

【… There must have been an accident.】

Regis had an ominous feeling.

Eric pointed to the road.

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【Sir Regis! Look!】

As he was watching the ocean burn— the mustered Belgarian troops lit their
torches.

Similar to earlier, the soldier with torches wasn’t in formation.

Their placement seemed haphazard.

Eric asked worriedly:

【Is it fine to lit the torches? We will get bombarded by the fleet again…?】

Regis asked Eric to help out, but he didn’t tell Eric the details of the strategy.

And of course, he already shared it with Altina.

She pointed with confidence:

【It’s fine! Look, don’t the position of the torches resemble something?】

【Resemble…?】

【Compare it to the thing before you.】

Eric squinted and looked at the direction Altina is pointing— 【Ahh!】 he


shouted:

【It resembles! It resembles the fort…?!】

【That’s right.】

【Could it be…! The fleet out at sea would think there are two forts?!】

Regis nodded in response to his question.

【… If the fleet don’t dare open fire on us, does it mean it worked?】

【So you went out to sea to note down these positions…】

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【I also investigated the currents in the region. By the way, the two lights at
both ends of the forest forms a line, and using that as the marking, we can
mark down the relative longitude and latitude.】

The soldiers were ordered to stand at the predetermined position with torches
in hand.

They were told to light the torches when the sea caught on fire.

Regis was planning to abort the operation, but the sea was ablaze earlier than
the planned naval mission… So the plan ended up proceeding smoothly.

Eric stared closely at the fake fort formed from the torches.

【Amazing…】

【… Yes. The Hispania fleet out at sea won’t dare fire or come closer.】

Eric tilted his head:

【Huh? That’s strange? If they come closer, they would be able to determine
which side is fake, right?】

【If they draw close, our 《40 Allen cannon》 will engage them. If cannons
from both sides engage in a shootout, our side will have the advantage of
being ‘unsinkable ships’.】

As the sail ships were made from wood, it catches fire easily. In contrast, the
land based Belgarian cannons didn’t have to worry about sinking.

The cannons on the warships were clustered together, while the Belgarian
cannons were spread out.

With the light on the enemy ships, it would be easy to target them, while the
Belgarian could hide in the darkness.

It would be an one sided shootout.

Eric said with a sigh:

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【As expected of Sir Regis!】

【… The problem is, if they saw the moment we lit the torches, they can
easily tell which side is fake.】

【Ah, is that so?!】

【That’s why we need to set fire to the sea. If the area around the sail ships
start burning, the crew’s attention would get drawn to those flames.】

【That’s right!】

The explosion also helped with that.

Regis concluded:

【… I didn’t know what happened out at sea, but we will proceed as planned.】

If they failed, then the enemy fleet would attack the fake fortress— which
was the Belgarian formation.

Altina said excitedly:

【Now we could attack Fort Bassetti with torches lit without worrying about
the naval fleet attacking us!】

Seeing Altina understood the plan, Regis felt glad at her growth.

She wasn’t stupid, but she had the bad habit of disliking to think. But right
now, she was trying her best to understand the strategy.

It would be perfect if she could understand the need for her to command from
a safe place.

Altina walked towards the foremost unit, hopefully not to lead the charge.

Regis still felt uneasy.

The enemy fleet wasn’t firing at them, but the fort had cannons too.

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If the worst happens— Or rather, the chance wasn’t that low…

Fort Bassetti was in chaos.

Lights appeared on the road to the south.

That wasn’t surprising.

After all, they were expecting the Belgarian army to launch a large scale
night raid.

However, the naval fleet wasn’t firing at the enemy.

Fort Bassetti also had many cannons, but they were mostly the old type. The
Hispania Empire invested heavily in the navy, and delayed the fortification of
their stronghold’s defenses.

The old cannons’ range, power and speed were all inferior to the cannons the
Belgaria Empire transported here by land.

Even firing from the top of the fort’s wall wasn’t enough to overcome this
disadvantage.

Furthermore, the Belgarian army was closing in under the cover of night.

【Charge! Charge!】

They could hear shouts in Belgarian.

The south gate guard captain looked at the countless torches from the top of
the Fort Bassetti walls.

【Why aren’t the fleet firing?!】

【I don’t know!】

They could see the sea was on fire.

There was a loud explosion earlier too.

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They couldn’t see as it was too far away… Did the Belgaria Imperial Navy
showed up? But there wasn’t any sound of them firing at each other.

The guard captain roared angrily at his men.

【Relay the message! Tell the fleet to open fire! The enemy is attacking from
the south!】

In the day, the Belgarian camp was to their north.

They used the cover of night to switch the direction of their attack. Was that
the reason why the fleet admiral couldn’t be certain on their targets?

At this moment, the south gate captain—

Never imagined that the Belgarian army lit their torches in the same pattern
as his fort.

From the sea, it looked like two forts colliding together.

In the pitch darkness, only the light from the torches were visible. Even
though the Belgarian army was charging at the fort, they couldn’t tell which
side was actually moving.

The Belgarian army opened fire first.

The cannon shot hit the wall.

Screams erupted from the soldiers.

The Hispanian soldiers lacked experience in large scale land combat, and the
defenders were spooked.

The guard captain yelled:

【Don’t fear, they are still far! Engage! Engage!】

The cannoneers started preparing on hearing the command.

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【Loading!】

The loader yelled before loading the cannon.

As the Hispania army cannons were front loaded, so the pack of gunpowder
needed to be stuffed in through the muzzle before putting in the round. The
ammunition was a spherical metal ball.

A steel stick was used to compress the ordnance.

At the back of the cannon was a small hole— a vent. An awl was stabbed in
here as they needed to make a hole through the gunpowder pouch.

And finally, gunpowder was poured through this vent.

The loading was then completed.

The lead cannoneer covered his ears and yelled:

【Fire!】

The firer acknowledge with a shout before putting his torch onto the vent
covered in gunpowder.

The gunpower burned, spreading into the vent and the gunpowder pouch
inside exploded.

Boom!

The explosion shook the air.

The metal ball shot out of the bronze barrel.

The cannon rocked violently backwards. It was outfitted with wheels, which
was immensely useful on the stone walls.

The cannon ball should have hit something, but they couldn’t tell as it was
too dark.

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Maybe it killed lots of Belgarian soldiers.

The lead cannoneer ordered:

【Next round, load!】

However, multiple shots flew in from the Belgarian army.

The walls around the fort were smashed in an instant.

When the Hispanian cannon hit the sturdy stone walls, it would just blow off
some shrapnels at most.

The Belgarian cannons were seriously strong.

They shaved off almost the entire wall.

It blew off a lot of shrapnels and wounded many Hispania soldiers.

Injury to the limbs might be salvageable, but those who got hit in the head
died on the spot. Those hit in the torso would die an agonizing death without
medical aid.

The south gate captain received several reports:

【The Belgarian cannons inflicted heavy losses to our cannoneers!】

【What’s going on?!】

【They are probably aiming for the torches!】

How is that possible— the guard captain thought.

The old cannons couldn’t achieve such high accuracy.

However, the new cannons had rifling, helical grooves inside the bore of the
barrel. It spun the fired rounds to keep it flying straight.

<TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifling>

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From the firing range of the old cannon, the new cannons could reliably hit
the window of a house. That was how large the difference was.

These were the breech loading cannons the Belgaria Empire manufactured by
replicating the High Brittania Kingdom’s cannons, and the technology had
not been spread to the Hispania Empire yet. Most of the soldiers saw this for
the first time in this war.

The new cannons known for their incredible range also displayed their
accuracy and power in this battle.

The breech loaded cannons didn’t need to be fired with a torch.

A flintlock with a rope attached was inserted into the vent.

The charges weren’t fired from outside the vent, so the explosive force won’t
leak out. This was one of the reason why the shots were so powerful.

Although Fort Bassetti had the advantage of terrain and numbers of cannons,
the Belgaria cannons and cannoneers were vastly superior in quality
compared to them.

When the Belgarian’s new rifle got in range, the difference became more
obvious.

The defenders suffered heavy losses, and couldn’t even retaliate.

The guard captain shouted at the messenger soldier:

【What’s wrong with the archers!? Are they still sleeping?!】

The messenger said with ragged breath:

【T-They are gone…!】

【What?】

If the light around the guard captain of Fort Bassetti was brighter, he would
be able to see the pale face of the messenger.

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The illumination was kept dim to avoid enemy bombardment, so he didn’t
notice.

The messenger screamed with all his might:

【They are gone! I can’t find the commander and the staff officers in the fort!
Our troops are gone too! The fort is deserted!】

【What… did you say…?!】

The guard captain and the soldiers around him was speechless.

The Belgarian assault was just beginning.

Their cannons were outmatched by the new cannons, but they weren’t pushed
to the edge yet.

If they could relay the enemy’s position to the naval fleet, they could use the
naval bombardment to turn the tide of battle.

At this moment, a loud explosion came from the fort.

【What is it this time?!】

A soldier pointed to the gate:

【I-It’s cannon fire! It destroyed the gate!】

The guard captain felt his legs giving out.

The Belgaria cannons fell silent.

Which meant—

Cavalry in dark armour charged into the fort.

【Hah! Those who want to die, come out and face me!】

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Going back to the time when an explosion occurred in the ocean—

Freij stood in the fort commander’s balcony.

The balcony that had an excellent view of the beautiful fort and the deep blue
sea was now engulfed in an unpleasant darkness.

He could see the fire spreading in the sea.

Was it an enemy fleet?

But he couldn’t hear the sound of warships firing at each other.

【What’s happening?】

He felt someone tap his back.

【Uwah?!】

A Belgarian soldier sneak attack?! He quickly drew his sword and turned.

And saw his daughter’s face illuminated by the light in the room.

She was wearing her pyjamas.

Her chambers was in the innermost end of the corridor, did she came here
wearing that? He wondered what the guards’ faces were like.

【Hah… Mariam… When you leave your room...】

【Mmm!】

She squeezed out a sound, and pointed somewhere.

【What now?】

Freij wasn’t a retard, and could sense that she came here because something
important happened. He stopped his grumbling.

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And looked in the direction his daughter was pointing.

A lot of torches appeared on the road to the south.

— When did they showed up?!

It must be the moment when there was an explosion and he was watching the
fire out at sea.

【Those Belgarians are here, huh.】

Like what they discussed a few days ago, the enemy’s plan was to numb the
defences before attacking.

However, the guard defences were vigilant and alert.

They wouldn’t lose so easily in a fight.

More importantly, the naval fleet could bombard them at will.

【……】

But less than a minute later, he felt something was off.

The fleet didn’t open fire.

Freij looked out at sea.

【Why aren’t they firing?】

There wasn’t a moon tonight, so he couldn’t see the naval fleet.

But since their lights were still lit, they should still be fine. And this was
within their range.

【Why aren’t they firing?!】

【Mmm!】

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Mariam tugged his sleeves.

And pulled him back into the commander’s office.

Freij’s desk always have paper and ink ready for her to use at any time.

【What do you think happened, Mariam?】

『Dear father, we have to abandon this fort.』

【What?!】

『Hurry and give the order! I will explain later.』

Freij scratched his hair.

【No, wait, wait! His Majesty entrusted this fort to me?! And this fort is
incredibly sturdy. With the navy protecting us, the enemy won’t… draw
near… probably…】

When he said that, he realized it.

If the navy wasn’t firing, then this was just an old fort.

This fort was built during the age of bows and arrows. The walls and gates
wouldn’t last long under the bombardment of the new cannons.

Mariam slammed on the paper she wrote just now:

『Hurry and give the order! I will explain later.』

【Ughh… Those Belgarian bastards!】

Looks like his daughter already noticed— the reason why they had to
abandon the fort.

Freij walked to the corridor to give the orders.

But he suddenly turned back:

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【Mariam, put your clothes on properly!】

Of the 15,000 soldiers in Fort Bassetti, 2,000 of them stayed behind to stall
for time as the main group retreated from the west gate.

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Chapter 3: Snow and Wagons
Fort Bassetti was seized, but it couldn’t serve as a base.

Because the Hispanian Navy remained unscathed, their naval cannons could
reduce the fort to dust.

The Belgarian army assaulted the fort under the cover of night, killing and
taking many enemy prisoners.

And then pulled out before dawn.

It would be a problem if the enemy fortifies this place again, so the walls
were torn down with dynamites.

The next day—

Something white fell from the sky.

They were in the middle of a march, and Regis looked up the sky through the
window of the carriage.

【… It’s snowing?】

【But this is the south.】

Clarice sitting opposite him said in surprise.

She seemed well learned.

【… From what I know, it hadn’t snowed in the Hispania Empire in six


years.】

【It’s still winter after all.】

【… It doesn’t look like it would snow too heavily.】

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【It’s not that cold after all.】

【That’s right, if we compare to the winters in north Belgaria.】

【Because we are in a carriage.】

Clarice smiled.

Regis shrugged and said:

【… You are right. The troops would bear a grudge if I sat here and ordered
them.】

Regis couldn’t ride a horse, so he had to sit in the carriage. If he forced the
soldiers to march in terrible weather, the troops would bear a grudge.

The commander of the forces was Altina, but the one making the movement
plans was the strategist, a fact everyone already know.

Regis looked at the map, checking if this place was dangerous.

The terrain where the enemy could shoot arrows from a high vantage point;
long, narrow path that made it difficult to protect the headquarters; and places
where scouting for enemy for enemy was difficult while the enemy could
easily surround and launch sneak attacks were known as 《Desperate ground》.

<TL: 死地 https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/s/suntzu/art-of-
war/chapter11.html>

And not just normal tactics, he had to consider the possibility of attack from
the river or lake, or setting fire to the forest.

And of course, crossing such areas at times was inevitable.

However, if there weren’t too many of such places, he could just station
guards and scouts there.

Regis put down the map after deciding on a place.

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He opened the window.

【Your Highness!】

A girl riding alongside the carriage on her favourite horse moved closer.

The two of them were looking at each other face to face.

Regis blushed.

It was rumoured that Altina was chased out of the palace because of jealousy
towards her beauty.

People already believed such rumours when she was 14.

And now, she looked just like the goddesses portrayed in religious paintings.

She frowned:

【What is it, Regis? Something urgent?】

【Hah! Oh right, it’s time to take a break.】

Yes, Altina nodded.

【I wanted to talk to you about this too.】

They looked up to the sky.

They finally understood why the stars and moon wasn’t visible last night, the
sky was covered in thick grey clouds.

The snow was getting heavier.

There were soldiers around them, so Regis used formal speech:

【… I have decided on the place. In front of us is a place where the road meets
the river, let’s make camp there. There might be a town over there.】

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【A town, huh.】

Altina muttered quietly.

【… According to the scout reports, there shouldn’t be any soldiers garrisoned


there.】

There should be town guards to maintain order, but they wouldn’t dare attack
the Belgaria Empire’s army of 40,000.

They had passed by many Hispanian towns, and they were all taken without
bloodshed.

Most of the citizens ran before the Belgarian army even arrived.

Those who were left had reasons why they didn’t run. Such as illness, injuries
or old age.

Altina nodded.

【Since Regis decided on it, it’s fine.】

A messenger was summoned to relay the order to the various unit


commanders.

The Belgaria Empire headed towards a small town that wasn’t even marked
on the map.

Regis summoned another messenger, and gave him detailed instructions.

【Send scouts to the back and fore of the road, and a patrol team into the
woods. Despatch boats into the lake… Ah, speaking of which… can we buy
those in town?】

The boats built for river crossings were all destroyed in last night’s battle.

More than half of the soldiers that went out to sea returned, but the boats
were either burned or covered in oil.

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They also expended a lot of food and ammunition.

It is almost time to link up with the resupply unit, Regis thought as he


squeezed his fingers.

【… Won’t surrender?】

Regis tilted his head.

They had almost arrived at town.

A man dressed like a farmer who wasn’t even a soldier of the Hispania
Empire came into the headquarters of the Belgaria forces.

They halt the army and received him as an envoy.

【I’m the chief of the Lokays town, Damia Ortho Posada.】

He looked young, but he was already the town chief.

Heavy infantry surrounded Damia.

Altina replied:

【I’m the Généralissime of the Belgaria Empire, Marie Quatre Argentina de


Belgaria.】

Regis didn’t state his name, and just stood quietly beside her.

【……】

Damia said boldly:

【Lokays won’t submit to pagans. We are fine with you passing by, but you
are not permitted to enter the town.】

The staff officers kept their straight faces, but some of the troops still laughed
out loud.

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They were already warned to not display such insolence… But it couldn’t be
helped, Regis thought.

Lokays was a town too small to be marked on the map, and the scouts
reported that there weren’t any soldiers garrisoned there.

There were about 3,000 people in town.

Which was to say, it was completely defenseless.

Despite that, he still defied the Belgarian Empire.

Altina rest her cheek on her hand.

【We occupied many Hispanian cities too, but we didn’t commit any
atrocities. So we won’t do that to you either.】

Damia shook his head.

【This isn’t a problem of our treatment. Belgarian belonged to the North sect.
We won’t recognize your religious teachings.】

【Religion…?】

Altina looked towards Regis.

Regis wasn’t planning to take the stage, but had no choice:

【… Most nations in this continent has the same religion. Some of them, like
the Etruria Theocracy, has different beliefs.】

【Belgaria and Hispania has the same religion?】

When she heard what Altina said, Damia said angrily:

【No! The North sect has sold their souls to the devil! We are the ones who
follows the true will of God.】

【Ehh? I don’t know the difference between the sects…】

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Seeing how confused she was, Regis explained:

【… In the Hispania Empire, the High Sect is the mainstay. Most people from
this sect won’t recognize other sects.】

【So what are the differences?】

【… Things like how rituals are done, their customs, there are quite a bit of
differences.】

【Oh.】

【… For example, during the Saint memorial day, the Belgaria Empire would
sing hymns and hold a festival, right?】

【Yes, we have a festival!】

【… However, High Sects would fast on that day and not sing hymns.】

【Huh?!】

Damia frowned:

【That’s only natural. This is the day the saint fast in solitude in order to speak
with our God. Why are you people breaking the taboo and feasting?! You
heretics!】

Altina scratched her head:

【Why did we do that?】

The rulers used the story of the saint as a reason to hold a festival, in order to
let the citizens rest— Even if Regis said that, it would just agitate the
fanatical High Sect youth unnecessarily.

Regis changed the topic:

【… Well, let’s end the religious discussion here. We can’t let the soldiers
wait in the snow for too long.】

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【That’s right!】

【We won’t be staying for long anyway, so we won’t requisite any buildings
or enter the town unnecessarily.】

【So there won’t be any problems?】

【… As long as they submit to the Belgarian Empire.】

Yes, Altina nodded.

She then told Damia:

【If Lokays town submit to the Belgarian Empire, I can guarantee the safety of
the resident’s property and lives. Because you will be our citizens then.】

He said stubbornly:

【Belgaria Empire belongs to the North sect.】

【What’s wrong with that. We have lots of religion.】

The Empire expanded its borders by conquering the territory of other nations,
so it was difficult for them to refute any religion.

The religious mainstream was the North sect, but they didn’t force others to
change their faith.

However, Damia couldn’t accept that.

【I won’t submit to a North sect emperor. We are the only ones who convey
the true voice of God. The Hispanian Emperor is the rightful Emperor.】

Altina looked bewildered.

She never expected a citizen to defy her so stubbornly.

Regis sighed:

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【… The citizens in north Hispania would secretly trade with other nations
and receive travellers. They are quite open minded.】

Many of them lived abroad too.

So if the Belgarian Empire really invaded them, they would surrender.

After all, the invading army led by Altina would not commit wanton murders
and pillaging.

Regis continued:

【… However, the closer you go to the center of the Hispania Empire, the
more people there are who will only recognize the High Sect alone.】

Because the Emperor of the Belgarian Empire belonged to the North sect.

So we won’t surrender— people like that would turn up too.

Damia concluded:

【The North sect is the devil that twisted the gospels of God. We will never
submit to you!】

Altina asked:

【What will your people do if my soldiers goes near the town?】

【We will go to war! The righteousness of God is with us!】

The soldiers started getting rowdy.

Belgaria’s soldiers were strong. Given their confidence and pride in their
strength, it was only natural for some to feel slighted, and think “You think
you can beat us off?”

One of the staff officers observing this conversation— the commander of the
heavy infantry unit, Second Grade Combat Officer Balasko stepped forward.

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【Since you said “war”, then the women and children will be treated as
combatants too. Please let our unit handle this.】

【Hmm…】

Altina fell into deep thought.

The town residents were definitely civilians.

And not soldiers.

But they refuse to surrender to Belgaria, and even declare their intent to
battle.

If it was the old Altina, she would ask for Regis’ opinion immediately.

However, she was thinking hard about it right now.

And so, Regis could only wait quietly for her.

Damia, the youth adamant in his refusal grit his teeth. It was snowing, but he
was sweating profusely.

After all, he just declared war against the commander of an invading army.

Altina was troubled because of her pacifist ideals that prioritize the wellbeing
of the people. Any other generals in the Belgaria Empire would have
delegated this matter to Balasko.

A battle with a town of 3,000 would end quickly, even before the main forces
reach there.

What about showing mercy to people revolting against the Belgaria Empire?

The matter could be resolved peacefully, but that wasn’t a qualified response
for the commander of an invading army.

If the citizens in the Hispanian capital said the same thing, then she would
have no choice but to retreat without a fight.

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Altina’s orders was to bring the citizens with different ideals and thinking
under Belgaria’s rule.

She made her decision:

【We won’t attack the town, ask you to leave the town or submit a tribute. I
can promise you all that. However, we will be making camp near the town
before the weather clears up. IF you harm my soldiers, I will never forgive
you all.】

【……】

It was Damia’s turn to be troubled.

However, their status weren’t equal.

He wasn’t given time to ponder an answer.

Altina commanded:

【You may leave. Relay my words to the townsfolk.】

The heavy infantry soldiers brought him outside without waiting for a reply.

The Belgarian campaign army headed towards the small town Lokays.

It was a short meeting, but Altina sat opposite Regis inside the carriage.

Regis remained in his own seat.

【Thank you for your hard work.】

【Hah… What do you think?】

【I think you handled it perfectly.】

Muu, she frowned.

【Regis must have thought of other plans. You should have just said what is

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on your mind.】

【Ehh? But, didn’t you arrive at a conclusion by yourself?】

【Because I feel that I can’t keep relying on you. But when we are alone, I
want you to tell me your concern.】

Clarice said she need to attend to something and left the carriage. She must
have done so intentionally.

The escort officer Eric was riding on a horse near the carriage.

The only ones in the carriage were Regis and Altina.

【… I think it’s great that you want to think about it yourself.】

【Thank you. So, what’s your plan?】

【… My plan would be to chase them towards the capital.】

Altina frowned.

【Ehh? You want to run them out of town?】

【Since they refuse to surrender to the Belgaria Empire, that is the only way. I
would let them bring enough provision to make it to the Hispanian capital.】

She asked uneasily:

【Regis still believes that I can be the Empress of Belgaria, right?】

【That’s correct.】

【When that time comes, I hope to have peaceful relations with the
surrounding nations.】

【You are a pacifist after all.】

【But, would the people we evict from town want to make peace with me.】

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【… In the end, that man is just the town mayor, not the king. He was in no
position to make peace with you.】

【I’m not talking about that.】

I know what you mean, Regis opened his arms to soothe her.

【… Most citizens of the Hispania Empire are High Sect, and many of them
refused to recognize other sects. Robbing the property of other sects isn’t a
sin— that country uses this rationale to justify their military committing
piracy.】

【Yes, that’s true.】

For example, if they weren’t an invading army but a weak traveller, what
would happen?

Like a North sect traveller who arrived at Damia’s town without knowing
anything? Who can guarantee that person’s safety?

【… Like how hegemony that wants to conquer the world with military might
is at odds with your ideal of pacifism. Getting people who don’t recognize
people of other sects to work together with you is very difficult.】

Altina lowered her head.

【Yes, that might be so.】

【But even if we call ourselves pacifists, we are easily misunderstood… No


killings or fightings, changing the world through dialogue alone is just a
dream— And I’m not delusional.】

For those who ostracize others, war was the only way.

【I’m not that childish either.】

【… If Hegemony is to defeat everyone who don’t yield, than Pacifism is to


defeat all people who refuse to work together with us.】

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【Yes.】

【… In the end, self defence is still necessary. Although the scope and means
are different.】

She tilted her head.

【Which means, Regis thinks… if you have to categorize the people in Lokays
town, they would be the enemy?】

【… They are obviously the enemy.】

【I see.】

【… You want to protect them because they are harmless civilians. You don’t
want to harm them. Kindness like this is important, I hope you don’t forget it.
But the moment they say ‘Pagans are enemies’, I won’t offer them the hand
of friendship.】

Regis said with no room for negotiations.

Altina was dumbstruck.

【But, they might change in the future.】

【That’s why I’m just chasing them away. Because I want to believe in that
possibility.】

【Ah, is that so.】

【… There is another reason for this.】

【What is it?】

This was a strategic reason, so Regis was hesitant on saying it.

【The citizens exiled from town would become refugees that consumes food
supplies. The Hispania Emperor would have to accept the citizens that fled to
the capital.】

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Using the enemy nation’s citizen to deplete their food supply was a common
strategy for an invading force.

And of course, the terrain played a part too.

As the middle of the Hispanian Empire were trecherous mountain ranges, the
roads and major city were located along the shore. The only place the people
who lost their homes could go was the capital.

Altina had a resigned expression.

【… You are really...】

【Well, listen.】

Regis continued:

【According to the spies report, the Hispania Emperor didn’t despatch any
reinforcement towards Fort Bassetti. Given his personality, he wouldn’t
accept any refugees into the capital.】

【Maybe.】

【The High Sect revered the Hispania Emperor as the one rightful ruler of all
lands… But if that Emperor refuse to accept refugees, would their faith
remain as strong?】

Altina pouted unhappily:

【You are saying that since the High Sect don’t recognize pagans, so we
should destroy the faith in the sect instead?】

【… Count Castellado authored a book called 《Religion, War and Peace》. So


the historical event written on it is similar to this.】

【Similar my foot!】

She was very displeased.

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Regis shrugged:

【… The means might look a little underhanded, but the result would be less
people dying in the war, correct?】

Altina shook her head.

【I know what you mean, Regis… if we can avoid a war, then it would be a
good thing.】

【… Isn’t that so?】

【However, I hope they can understand the benefits of the equality and
pacifism that I believe in.】

【… But if they don’t understand?】

Altina put her right hand on her breast.

And said determinedly:

【Dying for one’s conviction isn’t an unfortunate thing. I want to eradicate


war from this world— I would fight to the bitter end against the things that
attempt to twist my ideals.】

Regis stared at her.

And then nodded:

【… I understand. I will think up the strategies for you. A way to make the
citizens change their faith without exploiting them.】

He promised.

Altina said with a smile:

【Thank you, Regis.】

【… No, I should be the one thanking you. My thinking was too shallow.】

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【Not at all. It is correct to put saving lives as the top priority.】

Opinions on what was correct depended on the individual.

The correct answer was dependent on the number of people— such words
could often be seen in books.

Phew— Altina exhaled.

And relaxed her shoulders.

She looked out at the snow from the carriage.

【It was snowing when we first met too.】

【… Yes. It wasn’t snowing gently like this, but a blizzard though.】

【I didn’t know that it snows in the south.】

【I made provisions for delays by bad weather too.】

【As expected of Regis. Then everything will be fine, right?】

【… No, there’s one thing… It would be a problem if the supplies don’t arrive
in time.】

They had already gotten in contact with the supply unit that had set off from
the Sembione city, but sending a message one way would take several days.

As the invading army had to attack and take down enemy strongholds, so the
supply unit should be moving faster than the main body.

They should be reaching soon, but Regis still felt a little uneasy.

If the supply unit was defeated, seizing the capital of Hispania would be
incredibly difficult.

His gaze fell back onto the map.

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『We should destroy their supply unit.』

Mariam wrote.

【Even if you say that…】

Freij returned to the capital of the Hispania Empire, Cantanal.

He lost Fort Bassetti, but he returned safely with 13,000 soldiers, and avoided
any punishment.

They wouldn’t lop off the head of a commander while the Belgarian army
was right at their gates.

If he had followed his orders and defended the fort to the death…

He would have died in the hands of the enemy.

Even if he escaped with his life, he would get executed in the capital.

Fortunately, he listened to Mariam’s suggestion and abandoned Fort Bassetti


early. That was why he could eat a sumptuous dinner in the capital.

【The road in the Hispania Empire is a single path along the shore, you know?
If we sent out a task force, it would definitely run into the Belgarian army.】

If they could take out the enemy’s supply unit, it would definitely give
Hispania the advantage.

Belgaria had an army of 40,000.

It was a large army, which also meant it consumes a lot of resources.

Freij deshell a prawn as he spoke:

【And the enemy aren’t fools. According to scout reports, the Belgarian
supply team is escorted by a powerful mercenary band. They also had
riflemen armed with the newest model of rifles.】

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『We can win if we send 30,000 men.』

【Well… We will need to have 30,000 soldiers to deploy first.】

The Belgaria supply team was escorted by around 5,000 soldiers.

『It’s useless to station 60,000 troops inside the capitol.』

【No no, the enemy is 40,000 strong, while we have 60,000, you know? The
basic principle of attacking a fort is to have three times the numbers of
defenders.】

Going by common sense, the attackers would need to outnumber the


defenders three to one if they want to take a fort.

Which meant, if the Belgarian army didn’t have that many reinforcements,
they wouldn’t be able to take the Hispania capital.

There was no telling what would happen in the surrounding cities, but the
capital would never fall.

The enemy would retreat if they fail to take the capital— that was what the
top management in Hispania and the army thought.

After all, an army of 40,000 couldn’t stay in enemy territory indefinitely.

And right now, the Belgarian Empire was also fighting on the northern and
eastern front.

When spring comes, it would be time to start farming. If they didn’t let the
conscript farmers return, it would affect the food yield in the coming year.

A large country would need a huge amount of food to feed their massive
population.

【They can last for three months at most.】

『Dear Father, the Belgarian army already considered something of this


level.』

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【Well, maybe they will demand us to yield the territory up to Fort Bassetti to
them. Their army will go home one day, so it won’t be difficult to repel
them.】

『That fort is useless without naval superiority. They won’t demand


something like that.』

【Yes, that’s true. In the end, if the sea of the Hispania Empire remain safe,
we won’t lose.】

『The Belgaria Empire has warships.』

【So do the Hispania Empire.】

『You have already seen the power of the new cannons. If it turns into a battle
between warships, we will lose.』

Freij smiled wryly:

【I saw that battle, and did worry about it. But if they could win at sea, why
didn’t they attack from that avenue? The answer is, they are at an impasse
with High Brittania and the neighbouring nations. They couldn’t afford to
send any warships our way.】

『Wrong.』

【What?】

『Their goal is to keep the Hispania Emperor in Cantanal. This country is very
religious. If the emperor flees, the soldiers and citizens would resist to the
bitter end. But if they manage to take him alive—』

Mariam’s writing hand was grabbed by Freij.

【Hey… Watch what you write. Even if it is just an assumption, you will get
an inquisition.】

An inquisition was no different from being sentenced to death. It wasn’t


meant to determine someone’s guilt, but on how to carry out the execution.

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As the saying goes, 'Nobody expects the Hispanish inquisition.'

Freij threw the paper into the heater.

【Listen carefully, Mariam. The 60,000 soldiers would defend the capital
before spring comes next year— this is the decision made by the Hispanian
emperor.】

『We can destroy the enemy supply team with just 30,000 soldiers.』

【How would we get behind the enemy?】

『Just let the fleet drifting uselessly around the capital transport them.』

Freij pondered:

【Hmm, that’s true…】

A large map was laid out on the table in the tent, and Regis placed a chess
piece on top.

【… If it was me, I would use the fleet to transport the forces in the capital to
attack the supply team.】

The Black Knight sitting opposite Regis glared at him:

【Tch… that is an effective strategy.】

Regis was responding to Jerome’s question on “What would you do if you


are the Hispania Empire’s strategist, in this situation.”

The chess moved from the capital to the sea, then went around to a spot
between the Belgarian forces and Sembione.

Jerome looked at the map:

【So, how should we deal with it?】

【Turn the invading army around, and hit the enemy forces lying in wait of the

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supply team in the back.】

【That might work if the enemy commander is a huge retard… But they
would usually just escape on their warships.】

Regis scratched his head.

【Haha… That’s true.】

【If the Hispanians move their main forces with their fleet, the Belgarian
supply line would get cut off. But we couldn’t pursue them either.】

【That’s right.】

【If the enemy used that plan, what should we do?!】

【We will have to retreat then.】

The chess piece representing the Belgarian expedition force was moved all
the way back to Sembione.

Jerome hammered the map.

【Why you little! Are you planning this right from the start?!】

【No… Actually, Mr Gilbert also doubted me like that too, but I really have
the resolve to defeat the Hispanian Empire.】

【But your only strategy is to retreat?!】

【… There is a small chance we can take down the Hispania capital Cantanal
even if we ignore the supply line.】

Jerome clenched the fingers on his right hand.

【You actually dare to mock me, huh? Things are getting interesting, Regis.
Should I make your face more interesting too?】

【No no no… I will explain properly, but it will take some time?】

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【Make it quick! I will give you a chance to explain yourself.】

Jerome leaned on the chair arrogantly.

Regis placed the chess pieces properly again.

They were in his private tent, and the time was late at night.

It was almost bedtime, and Regis didn’t expect Jerome to show up and ask
that question out of the blue.

Jerome probably felt there was something off with the plan after some
introspection.

As expected of him.

Actually, there were some pieces Regis didn’t placed on the board.

【… When the Belgarian army invaded the Hispania Empire, their Emperor’s
defensive strategy is to concentrate their forces in the capital Cantanal. Fort
Bassetti was just a sacrificial pawn used to stall for time.】

【I see.】

Jerome showed a stern face.

He was strict towards his allies, but hates losses caused by negligence. Even
if this was the enemies’ tactics, he didn’t feel happy about it.

Regis didn’t dwell into his feelings too much.

【… And, as for why the Hispania Emperor is mustering so much of his


forces...】

【Ohh?】

【… Roughly half a year ago, I sent people to spread rumours in the Hispania
Empire.】

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【What?】

【… That was shortly after we repelled High Brittania, and the late Emperor
died… I was thinking about what we should do if Latreille takes the throne.
Once that happens, even if the place is far, he would also order a campaign to
the south.】

Jerome had a complicated expression.

Some time ago, Latreille and Germaine also showed the same face— Regis
recalled.

And right after that, there was an assassination attempt on his life. If Jerome
also wanted to kill him, that would be the end of him.

【… Erm, did I say something strange?】

【I will be frank. You really irritate me.】

【Ehh?!】

【… When you heard the news of the Emperor’s passing, you already
predicted the southern campaign?】

【That’s just a possibility.】

【… And you prepared a scheme ahead of time.】

【If we attack from the land route, while the enemy deploys with their naval
fleets, then we would be helpless. So we need to force their leaders and main
forces to stay in the capital.】

Jerome jerked up.

【What’s the rumour?】

【The Belgaria Empire captured a powerful siege weapon from the High
Brittania Kingdom.】

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【Is that a lie?】

【Well, it is a lie. But when they got wind of this news, they would be hesitant
about reducing the number of soldiers in the capital, right?】

【If it was me, I would never let the enemy come near the capital, and will
even launch a pre emptive strike to stop that.】

【… If that’s the Emperor’s personality, they would have concentrated their


forces in Fort Bassetti. From their opening move we can tell what their grand
strategy is.】

The Hispanian emperor and the military leaders all prioritized the defences of
the capital. This clearly showed how confident they were of Cantanal’s
defences.

【Which means, they are playing within your palm?】

【No… well, this is still within expectations.】

【Hah! What an amazing conman!】

Jerome pressed his forehead and leaned his chair back.

The chair started to creak.

This was Regis’ only chair, so he hoped that Jerome would use it carefully.

Similar to Jessica’s earlier visit, Regis was sitting on the bed.

【… But, I really did prepare a siege weapon though?】

【Hmmp… I can guess since there are messy things that aren’t provisions or
weapons being sent over. Is it usable?】

【… I already tested it.】

【Anything else?】

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Regis tilted his head and said:

【Yes… To be honest, the most important thing is the threat from the sea.】

【What about the steamships? Didn’t we capture a few?】

Ms Jessica also asked something similar— Regis said with a wry smile:

【They probably won’t let us use the captured steamships.】

【What about the Belgarian built ships?】

【The modification of the Athena class ships should be done. I already


requested His Majesty Latreille to send them over…】

【Can that Emperor be trusted?】

What an awkward subject.

If Latreille treated this expedition as the top priority, he wouldn’t have


ignored Regis’ request. After all, he bestowed the staff of the Généralissime
to Altina.

However, there was another thing to consider— Altina was his political rival.
Even now, she was the top threat to his position.

He might not be planning an assassination, but maybe he was trying to trap


Altina in the southern front?

From the present situation, if there wasn’t any support from the capital, this
war might drag on for several years.

By dragging out the war with Hispania, he could seal away his political foe
and a troublesome enemy— which wasn’t a bad plan at all.

Regis’ returned his thoughts to the present:

【I was hoping His Majesty Latreille would give his consent… But the
operation of the steam engine had just gotten started.】

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【So they are using it already?】

【Yes… Steam locomotives are already being used in a small town to the
south east of the capital.】

Jerome tilted his head:

【Is there any reason to use it there?】

【Yes… That place already had a river for transport, so this had nothing to do
with demand or convenience… They probably did so to avoid any explosion
from harming the capital.】

【Oh?】

【… Be it cannons or rifles, accidental explosions are common during the


initial development phase. It must be the same for steam locomotives. It
would be a big problem if the nobles in central got hurt by accident.】

【As expected of the mindsets of those retards.】

【… And it’s easier to keep things under wraps by keeping it away from the
borders.】

Emperor Latreille planned to make full use of this technological advantage to


win the war on multiple fronts. Therefore, he was very wary of the
technology leaking out of the country.

【Well, the other nations never taught us either.】

Jerome values mental toughness and training, but he wouldn’t take the new
weapons made from cutting edge technology lightly.

【… Oh, speaking of which, once the trial operation is done, a train route
connecting the capital to the south would be put in place. The railway is
already being built. A round trip trade route that usually take around 20 days
could be traversed in three days with the railway.】

【What’s this nonsense.】

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Jerome had never seen a steam locomotive before.

He didn’t believe this at all.

【… But the steam locomotive in the High Brittania Kingdom is faster than a
sail ship.】

【I only believe what I see with my own eyes. Have you seen the High
Brittania locomotive before?】

【… No.】

In contrast, Regis believed in the things he read in books. If a large number of


books say the same thing, he would consider it a reliable source of
information.

【… Well, it will be quite a while before the railway can be used. However,
with the explosive population growth of the Empire, if the capital is linked to
the food production regions, it would be great from the perspective of
national development.】

【Can that thing be used to transport troops?】

【It can ferry tens of thousands of soldiers.】

Jerome pondered:

【Fufu… so tens of thousands of soldiers could be sent from the south to the
capital in just a day and a half? If that’s true, it would change war much more
than cannons did.】

【… That’s correct.】

Moving a large army would take a large amount of time and resources.

If these expenditure could be avoided, that was equivalent to having more


soldiers. The number of troops that could commit to a battle would be
different too.

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If Latreille wants to conquer the surrounding nations, the rail network would
be very important.

However, it would be many years before the rail network was finished—
Regis thought.

In the end—

They didn’t receive any reports from the scouts deployed on the road of a
sneak attack by the Hispania army.

It seemed that the enemy didn’t move their main forces out of the capital.

So no one made such a proposal?

Or did the enemy make the defence of their capital the top priority?

Belgaria sent out spies too, but it was difficult to get news on the decision of
the top military leaders.

The only thing the spies reported was that the enemy had embarked on a
large scale military movement.

Ten days passed since the battle of Fort Bassetti—

It was later than scheduled, but the expedition force led by Altina was
resupplied safely.

Regis laughed out loud after confirming the catalogue of the supplies.

【Thank you very much, Mr Gilbert.】

The Mercenary King nodded with a serious face:

【It’s all there, right?】

【Yes, there’s no problem at all.】

【You are a strange one. Normally, the mercenaries would be sent to the front

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lines.】

It wasn’t a complain or insult, Gilbert was speaking in a calm tone, as if he


was talking about the weather.

Regis scratched his head:

【No… If the Hispanian army made their move, then the supply team would
be at the front lines.】

【They might move their main forces with their war ships— That’s what you
said.】

【...It seems that they didn’t do that..】

【I heard a rumour. Belgaria has a powerful siege weapon with them.】

【Ahh, that’s...】

Despite his stern face, Gilbert shrugged.

【Is that your scheme.】

【… Ehh… Actually...】

【The same as usual, huh.】

He sighed heavily.

His reaction was different from Jerome, but Gilbert also had a straightforward
personality that craves for face to face combat. He could only face Regis’
schemes with a resigned expression.

It seemed that warriors had a hard time accepting such a strategy.

【… For me, winning without a fight is the best outcome.】

Gilbert nodded.

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【I concur.】

【……】

Gilbert’s face remained serious, and it was impossible to guess what he was
thinking.

However, it seemed that he wanted to say something— Regis could sense


that.

So he waited for him to speak.

Gilbert looked at the piles of resources.

【I was hired by the High Brittanian army to be part of an escort team back
then too.】

【… It must be hard on you.】

【Your forces pulled a fast one on us.】

【… Haha.】

That was actually Altina’s unit, but Regis decided not to correct Gilbert. He
wasn’t being literal anyway.

【I never thought you could create a fog.】

【… The conditions just happen to be in place.】

【High Brittania’s strategist wasn’t bad either… But he probably couldn’t pull
that off.】

【Is that so?】

Regis thought about Colonel Oswald Coulthard.

Gilbert massaged his brows with his fingers.

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【I thought about it many times. Many, many times… What should I have
done to win? Where did I go wrong?】

【W-Well…】

Gilbert probably simulated his battle with Regis in his mind many times.

He then shook his head.

【In the end, I would always lose the supplies at some point. High Brittania’s
defeat was inevitable once the Fourth Princess’ army set its eyes on the
supply team.】

【Ah…】

【We encountered enemy forces thrice inside the Hispania borders. But they
were units who already lost a battle earlier, and were just wandering along the
road without any plans at all. One group even surrendered without a fight.】

【So you still fought twice, huh.】

【They seemed to have underestimated the supply team.】

They probably never thought that the supply was guarded by such a
renowned mercenary unit.

【… After all, the Hispanian land forces lack battle experience.】

【Those who couldn’t gauge the actual power of their opponents are just
amateurs.】

【… That’s true.】

Gilbert said:

【The supplies got here without any meaningful resistance. Why are things
different this time?】

【Ehh… Well… The battle situation is different this time.】

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Gilbert twitched the corner of his lips.

It was rare to see him smile.

【It’s because the enemy army don’t have a Regis d'Auric. That’s my
answer.】

【N-No… Someone like me…】

【The Hispania Empire don’t have any incredible strategists, right?】

I wonder— Regis thought.

【… During the attack on Fort Bassetti, I think our enemy had somewhat seen
through my strategy.】

【But you still took the fort.】

【No… The credit goes to the incredible efforts of the Belgaria soldiers.】

The plan was originally a failure.

He never thought his troops would carried on with the plan when the ocean
was full of enemy patrol ships!

When he heard that report, Regis was stumped.

【… Also, when we attacked the fort, more than 10,000 of the enemy forces
retreated splendidly.】

【Oh, so our foe stole a march on us?】

Regis nodded.

He learned something interesting from the guard captain of Fort Bassetti that
was captured.

【… She seemed to be the daughter of the commander. She is young, but an


incredible tactician.】

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【What’s her name?】

【……Mariam Louis Jiménez.】

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Chapter 4: The Battle of Cantanal
【Regis d'Auric… That’s the name of the enemy strategist.】

Mariam nodded at Freij’s words.

She was holding a pen with her right hand, but surprisingly, she wasn’t
holding a chess piece with her left hand.

Because she was dining now.

In her left hand was a fork.

Most commoners in the Hispania Empire eat with their hands, but Freij was a
Marqués house, so they still exercise the most basics of etiquettes.

Freij shared what he learned at headquarters.

Mariam had incredible insight, but she was a woman and a civilian, so she
didn’t take part in the war council.

【Regis was a commoner Admin Officer, but the Fourth Princess favors him.
Not only did he took down Fort Volks that didn’t fall for forty years from the
Germanian Federation, he also repelled the High Brittanian army. He is now
a Chevalier, and appointed the strategist of Belgaria’s Généralissime.】

『That’s the story that Belgaria is pushing.』

【Maybe. It sounds too amazing after all.】

『— That might be so, but we should re-evaluate that. The strategy he used to
take down Fort Bassetti was very incredible.』

Freij frowned:

【There were two forts— That’s what the fleet admiral said. To think he could

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mimic that.】

『Holding lanterns high to make a raft look like a warship, tricks like this exist
in the past too.』

【One side is the real fort, and the other is the charging enemy. Since they are
moving, wouldn’t they be found out immediately?】

『The ships are subjected to the sea breeze and current too, so it’s difficult for
them to determine if the lights on land are moving, or was it the swaying of
their ship that made it look like movement.』

【That is pretty difficult.】

『We should be grateful to the admiral who observed quietly because he


couldn’t determined which side was us. If the fleet opened fire on the fort, we
would lose our chance to flee.』

【Ugh, yeah.】

If the navy fired upon them, then Freij would probably not have the chance to
grumble in his home at the capital.

Freij’s started shivering.

If his daughter was frightened like this, she would look very cute… However,
Mariam continued to stuff potatoes into her mouth casually with a fork as she
wrote with her right hand.

It couldn’t be helped since she couldn’t speak, but this wasn’t close to the
proper behaviour of a noble lady at all.

It was a late dinner.

This place was Freij’s manor inside the Hispanian capital.

He already sent his wife back to her old home to seek refuge.

He was certain that the Hispanian capital wouldn’t fall, but public order

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would deteriorate if this turns into a battlefield, and this might become a
drawn out war. Shortage of food and supplies might happen.

Freij could bear with it since he was a soldier.

However, he didn’t want to waste unnecessary effort to soothe his wife who
wouldn’t be able to stand adverse conditions.

By right, Mariam should evacuate too, but he couldn’t do without the brilliant
mind of this girl.

She scooped up her seafood meal and continued writing with her right hand:

『His Majesty didn’t send any forces out of the capital.』

【I already proposed that, but His Majesty and high command all insist on
defending the city.】

『How foolish.』

【Hey…】

Freij lowered his voice.

This might be his own home, but this was the residence of a noble. There
were servants around here. Most of them were told to take a leave of absence,
but some of them were still working here.

If they told on Freij, then he would lose his rank of General and his life.

Mariam didn’t look afraid at all. Was it bravery, or was she just dense?

『The high command seemed fearful of something.』

【It’s just a rumour… that the Belgarian army prepared a powerful siege
weapon. They seemed to be wary of that.】

『Impossible. If they had such a thing, they would have used it to attack Fort
Bassetti.』

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【Maybe the enemy kept it hidden?】

『The Belgaria definitely prepared some sort of siege weapon. That was
obvious from the amount supplies they had transported.』

【High command thinks the same thing.】

『If that was so, all the more reason to not let the enemy come near the
capital.』

【We already tried.】

Freij shrugged.

Simply put, many soldiers fought the Belgarian army on the road and in the
fort to stop their advance, but suffered heavy losses for their efforts. They
already lost around 30,000 men.

Despite all that, the enemy was just half a day’s march from the Cantanal
capital.

They might even attack tonight.

【They travelled for half a month, so they would want to rest for a bit.】

Freij put a sausage into his mouth.

Mariam wrote:

『When we stopped the enemy at Fort Bassetti, we could have forced them to
retreat if we cut off their supply line.』

Freij chewed as he answered:

【Munch munch… Maybe. Gulp… but they might press on too. Gulp… And
attack the capital without even looking back.】

Last year, the High Brittania army that invaded deep into the Belgaria Empire
continued their advances even after losing their fleet and supply team.

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And they were defeated by Field Marshal Latreille, who was still a prince
back then— that was the report they had gotten.

For the Hispania Empire, the Belgaria army might do the same thing under
similar circumstances.

Freij swallowed his sausage and said:

【Fort Bassetti fell earlier than planned, which is one of the reason why high
command insist on turtling inside the capital. It’s hard for me to propose the
contrary with the position I’m in.】

『Belgaria needed to take the fort quickly, but they still spent quite some time
on it.』

【The powerful siege weapon that didn’t exist— that’s what you are saying?
IF they really hid it, then what? Cantanal has more than 60,000 soldiers, it
won’t fall to an unknown siege weapon. In the end, we have the upper hand
in both numbers and supplies.】

In the Hispania Empire, as long as the Emperor was safe, they would never
lose.

And given the current situation, they just needed to defend the capital,
Cantanal.

Freij forked another piece of meat:

【On hindsight, maybe the plan of the Strategist Regis was to drag the time he
attacked Fort Bassetti? And if we carelessly deployed the main forces out of
Cantanal, we would lose the advantage in numbers. That might be their goal.
There’s no strategy more reliable than letting 60,000 men guard His Majesty,
that’s the conclusion of high command.】

Mariam nodded:

『Let’s respect their decision then.』

【Are you dissatisfied with that?】

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『If it was me, I won’t let the strategist Regis have the initiative. There was no
telling what scheme he might pull off, that’s too dangerous.』

【That’s why we prepared so much.】

『I don’t know what scheme the enemy will pull off, but only making passive
preparation to react to the enemy— is unwise.』

【Is that so? I think that is the fundamental of defending.】

『Dear Father, the best outcome of war is to win without a battle. Otherwise,
putting the enemy into zugzwang will be a victory too.』

<TL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Zugzwang >

【There’s nothing so perfect in reality.】

『Even if we had to leave 20,000 men in the capital, we could still launch a
pincer attack against the Belgaria army by using two army with 20,000 troops
each. If that happens, even the best strategist would have a hard time. We can
then hold the initiative.』

【A good proposal, but high command would never accept it— Now that you
mentioned it, why didn’t you suggest this when we were defending Fort
Bassetti? We could have cut off their supply lines.】

『Dear Father is really forgetful. We only had 15,000 soldiers back then. How
much reserves did the Belgarians had?』

【Erm… Maybe 20,000.】

Belgaria might not have deployed all their reserves into the supply team.
With the forces in Fort Bassetti, it would be difficult to cut off the Belgaria
supply line.

They committed 60,000 soldiers into the south, and left 20,000 to defend
their stronghold.

They wouldn’t be able to cut off the Belgarian supply line with inadequate

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numbers.

And the Hispanian high command would never approve a plan that needed
such a large force.

Freij concluded as he forked another meat.

【Well, forget it. This war would end in a victory for the Hispanian Empire.
Even if the Belgarian army penetrated deep into our territory, they also
accumulated a lot of fatigue too. Our capital Cantanal is a sturdy fortress city,
and we possessed a force large enough to win outright in the plains. We also
have a fleet in the oceans.】

『Very well prepared.』

【That’s right.】

『However, the Belgaria Empire already expected that when they invaded.』

【The new emperor of Belgaria is a young soldier. When an army received the
order to attack, their option is to do as instructed. It is the obligation of a
soldier to obey orders, it’s the same for all nations.】

『Those who can only do as instructed are mere mortals. The ones who can
prevail in the face of adversities are heroes.』

【In that case, there won’t be any heroes in this war. Well, the Belgarian army
won’t last for long. At best, they can maintain such numbers for half a year.】

Even if they could send supplies from their home country, they would need
plenty of escorts for each trip, the expenses would be huge.

Even if the Hispania Empire gets surrounded on land, they still could travel
by sea.

As of now, Cantanal was still being resupplied via the sea.

【If this war becomes a long term stalemate, we might get a peace
negotiation.】

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『That might be possible.』

【Belgaria probably will ask us to cede the land from their southern borders to
Fort Bassetti to them? But the Emperor wouldn’t agree to that.】

『Soldiers have no say in such discussions. There is no need to think about


that.』

【If this war ends, I can get a long vacation. I want to idle in the countryside.
The capital isn’t a suitable place for me.】

『Dear Father, your demotion isn’t confirmed yet…』

【I’m talking about a normal vacation! I just lost some troops, it’s not that
serious that I had to be demoted, right?!】

The food flew out of his mouth and onto Mariam’s face.

She frowned and wiped her face with a napkin.

『Who knows whether a hero will appear on the battlefield? Father just has to
defeat the Belgaria army.』

【What are you saying? My unit has only slightly more than 10,000 men, and
that’s a reserve force in the capital too.】

『This is a good chance to recover our lost territory.』

【No no, like I said, I haven’t lost my status.】

It’s true that he lost almost 20,000 men in Fort Bassetti, but Belgaria had an
army of 40,000. He still did his part and stalled them.

Mariam stared at him:

『You are satisfied with your current standings? Can you accept being a
sacrificial pawn?』

【Ughh…】

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『If not, I can tell you my strategy.』

He felt irked by his daughter’s haughty gaze—

【Well, let’s see what you have to say.】

Freij still decided to listen to her.

The Belgaria expedition force made camp just three hours march from the
capital of the Hispania Empire, Cantanal.

Which was about 3Li (13km).

To enact this plan, they needed plenty of water. Considering the fact that the
army of 40,000 also need to erect their tents, they decided to make the lake
their base.

To the south was Cantanal, east the lake, and to the west was a road, followed
by the ocean. Their backs faced north, which was a vast open plain.

There was an orchard here. It was a pity, but they couldn’t avoid setting up
camp here.

As the estate owner had fled, the manor here was used as a field hospital.

Noon—

A man with a crate in his arms walked into Regis’ personal tent, which was
situated near headquarters.

【Sir Strategist, it sure is hot today.】

【Yes, thank you for your hard work.】

It was the captain of the Pioneer regiment—Ferdinand Stuttgart.

He placed the crate beside the table and wiped his sweat.

Regis removed the opened books on top of the map.

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【In this place, it doesn’t get too cold even in winter. The snow we saw a few
days ago was an abnormally.】

【That’s great. Our work will get affected if it is too cold.】

【… I think this is the most suitable spot.】

I pointed to a spot on the map.

Ferdinand nodded:

【I think so too. We already inspected the terrain before coming here. The
hardness of the ground is ideal, but we won’t really know unless we tried
digging..】

【… Hmm, In that case, we should start work as soon as possible.】

【I will start the preparations immediately.】

【Thank you.】

【This is the detailed plans of the project.】

Ferdinand took out a scroll of paper from the crate by his feet.

Regis perused it.

【… Hmm, it’s not bad at all.】

【Fufu, thanks. This enemy will definitely be surprised.】

【… It will be great if they raise the white flag from terror.】

【Is that possible?】

【… Though not as frequent as Belgaria, the Hispania Empire is a nation that


fought wars constantly. They mainly fought naval battles, but they had
skirmishes with their neighbouring nations for the past century. So they
won’t surrender so easily.】

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【That’s true.】

【… They also made preparations so they won’t lose that easily.】

【We will finish the project as soon as possible.】

【… Ah, yes. Erm… I hope you can make preparations to run at a moment’s
notice.】

Regis scratched his head.

Ferdinand stood stiffly for a while before laughing:

【Fuwah! As expected of Sir Strategist.】

【… I’m not joking, you know?】

【Hahaha… I know.】

Ferdinand did a sloppy salute:

【We will make preparations to flee and finish the project as quickly as
possible!】

【I will be counting on you.】

Imperial Year 851, December Tenth—

The 40,000 Belgaria army led by the Généralissime linked up with the 10,000
pioneers and supply team.

The Hispania Empire’s forces were led by the Emperor personally, and
comprised of 60,000 men mustered from all over the nation. It was known to
be impregnable since the nation’s founding.

Combined, there were over 100,000 combatants from both sides— the battle
of Cantanal started quietly.

The Belgaria army entrusted a project to Ferdinand.

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While the Hispanian army chose to wait for their enemy to exhaust their
supplies.

And so, ten days passed without any mlitary conflict.

Morning—

Freij came to the cook house with a yawn.

There were bread, soup, salad and curd here.

The variety and quantity was the same as usual, since he was a general in the
military.

However, he could see that there was a drop in quality.

It wasn’t too obvious due to the chef’s effort, but the bread was already
turning black, and the salad had a funky smell too.

The sea route ensured that their supply line would be open, but it was no easy
feat to feed an army of 60,000.

And the next shipment didn’t arrive on time either.

The grumbles from the chief of each logistics department was also growing.

【As expected, this will become a drawn out war, huh.】

【……】

The surprising thing was, Mariam was already in the cook house.

And she wasn’t in her pyjamas, but a proper lady’s attire.

She pointed out the window.

【Mmm!】

【What is it?】

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【Mmm!】

She smacked at the window.

【… What’s wrong with the window?】

Freij felt her daughter’s eyes seemed to be saying that she was watching a
retard.

Freij shrugged, and walked to the window.

【It can’t be.】

He could see a bit of Belgaria’s camp from here.

However, it was 2legua (11km) away, and he was facing the sun.

Freij squainted:

【Smoke?】

He could see black smoke rising.

That was too much smoke for cooking breakfast.

【… Did their camp caught on fire?】

He turned, and Mariam’s expression seemed to be saying “Is there something


wrong with your head?”

Freij shrugged:

【I’m just kidding. The scouts has already been deployed. We just need to go
to headquarters to find out what’s happening at the enemy base camp.】

She wrote on paper:

『I want to go too.』

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【Don’t be silly. How can I bring someone who isn’t a soldier to the palace?】

Haahh… Mariam drooped her shoulders.

She still understood such common sense. She was saying— no, writing it for
kicks.

Freij sat back down on his chair in the cook house.

【Sit down, Mariam. Don’t forget to say your prayers before your meal.】

【……】

He was just starting to pray when he saw a butler coming in with an urgent
letter.

Freij received the letter and opened it.

It was sent from headquarters.

Mariam bit into her cheese as she looked his way.

Something strange is going on in the Belgarian army, report to the palace


immediately— That’s what it says.

So far, everything was within expectations.

Freij opened his eyes wide.

—『Bring Mariam Louis Jiménez with you.』

He read it three times.

And then looked at his daughter.

【Did you do something?】

『I don’t know what you mean.』

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【His Majesty seeks your counsel. But why…?】

To avoid unnecessary attention, he had only told his close associates about
Mariam.

【Ughh… Who planned this?】

Mariam’s face brightened immediately.

She wrote quickly:

『His Majesty is a wise man.』

【… Oh, I see.】

『I thought he was retarded in the past, seems like I have to reevaluate him.』

【I-I already told you not to say such things!】

Freij crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the cook house’s fireplace.

He steadied his breathing:

【Listen well!? The Emperor and those guys from headquarters won’t listen to
your jokes like me! If you are suspected of Lèse-majesté, both of us would
get hung?!】

『Dear Father, please calm down.』

【But...!】

『It looks like someone who knew about me informed His Majesty in order to
set you up. Is that what you think?』

【… Maybe.】

『Dear Father, please don’t forget this one important thing.』

【Hmm?】

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『The person who will drag you down intentionally—』

Seeing Freij grit his teeth intensely, she stopped writing.

Mariam then patted her breasts confidently:

『Don’t worry. I thought this might happen, and already learned the etiquettes
on how to act in an audience with His Majesty from Grandfather.』

【… That’s why I’m so worried.】

But this was an imperial edict, so he had to go.

Freij sighed deeply.

At the center of the Hispanian palace where the Emperor resides was a tall
tower.

A long time ago, this tower was a shrine.

The other buildings were built around it, and the entire palace was covered
with mythological carvings, religious paintings and statues.

A devoted believer would probably cry at the sight of this place.

— This just feel overly oppressing.

Freij’s opinion of the tower never changed since the first time he saw it.

He wasn’t an atheist or critical of this Empire’s establishment. He just wasn’t


that zealous.

However, this place shouldn’t be like this.

If God was the creator of the world like what the priests claims, then this
place shouldn’t be so overbearing, Freij thought.

If God only likes places with such gloom and abstinence, then why did
amazing sceneries, lively animals and rowdy music exist— the one who said

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that was his father.

— Now that he thought about it, his father was a heretic.

He looked to the side, and saw Mariam looking at the buildings curiously.

【Don’t wander your gaze.】

【……】

She nodded, but she kept doing the same thing.

Since they were summoned for a war conference, they headed to the war
room instead of the audience hall.

The guards opened the doors.

Furniture in the Hispania Empire were heavily influenced by the Belgaria


Empire. The tables and chairs had intrinsic carvings.

However, due to the deep religious influence in this nation, the carvings were
religiously themed.

The generals were all gathered in this room.

The most senior Captain General admonished him:

【You are late, Lord Freij.】

【My humble apologies. My daughters preparation took some time because of


the sudden summon.】

【……】

Mariam stared at Freij.

The truth was, Freij didn’t want to bring his daughter here, and spent too
much time thinking of a reason to turn down the summon.

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The ten generals in the war room looked Mariam’s way.

【So she is…】

【The granddaughter of the God of War…】

A short moment later, an old butler announced the arrival of the Emperor.

Everyone stood.

A special door at the deep end of the room opened, and a thin old man
entered. The white silvery clothes on him seemed to be glowing slightly.

He was the Emperor of the Hispania Empire— Amador Haulnelaz Othello.

This white haired old man wore a white hat on his head.

The Emperor of the Belgaria Empire likes red, while the Emperor of the
Hispania Empire prefers silvery white, the divine colour of God.

The Emperor took his seat.

The Generals then sat down.

Freij sat at the far end of the table, with Mariam sitting even further behind
him.

She had a pen in her hand, with paper and ink on the table. The generals had
already been told that she couldn’t speak, so no one faulted her.

『I’m humbled by Your Majesty’s summons.』

— Spoken just like a soldier.

Freij didn’t show it, but he sighed in relief.

The old butler passed the paper Mariam wrote directly to the Emperor.

The wrinkled face of the Emperor scowled even more:

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【How nostalgic. When I first met the ‘God of War’, he said the exact same
thing.】

The Emperor mostly keeps to himself, but he still smiled to ease the
atmosphere.

When Freij wanted to inoculate the group first by saying “My daughter is
wise because of her grandfather’s teaching, but she is still a child”……

Another general raised his hand.

【I have an urgent report— There are strange movements from the Belgarian
army.】

It seemed they had been discussing this all morning.

The others were very concerned about this too. Unable to interject about his
daughter, Freij put down the hand he raised half way.

The officer in charge of enemy surveillance— a pudgy Lieutenant Colonel


reported:

【The Belgaria army dug a hole in their base, threw burning fuel in, and
started a fire.】

The people present didn’t know what that meant.

【What are they doing?】

The Lieutenant Colonel didn’t know how to answer the Captain General’s
question:

【Erm… According to the technical sergeant, it might be a blast furnace.】

【What’s a blast furnace?】

【Sir, a blast furnace is used to smelt steel. From the colour, the fuel should be
coal. They diverted water from the lake, so they could adjust the temperature
of the furnace and smelt steel.】

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Despite the explanation, the mystery just got deeper.

【Maybe the Belgarians are manufacturing rifles in the middle of a war?】

Those who heard that mumbled to themselves.

【Or are they building a fort?】

The Generals started to frown.

If Belgaria build a base at this distance, then Cantanal would lose its function
as an economic center.

It seemed that there wasn’t any need for negotiations, the land from that base
to the Empire would be under Belgaria’s control.

— What a despicable scheme.

【……】

Mariam smirked.

The officers all opened their eyes wide. Freij felt his heart almost stopped.

But she didn’t fear the gaze around her and wrote:

『They would never build a fort. The Belgarian army won’t want to drag this
war out. The soldiers have their own homes and families. If they erect a base
on enemy grounds, how many soldiers would they garrison there? Who will
pay for the expenses? Our enemy might be a big nation, but their funding
isn’t unlimited. We can estimate the budget and forces they have committed
into this war from what we can see right now. Do you understand that?』

【P-Pardon me.】

Erect a fort— the officer who blurted that out saluted and took a step
backwards.

The Captain General asked intimidatingly:

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【Well then, Lord Freij, what do you think the enemy’s intention are?】

【Ehh?!】

—This has nothing to do with me though?!

Well, he wasn’t completely uninvolved either. The officers seemed to think


that Mariam was a subordinate of Freij, and treated her as his deputy,

With no regards for her father’s worries, Mariam answered:

『I have never seen any precedent like this, so I can only say that I have no
idea.』

【What?! After saying something so cocky… Well, you didn’t really speak…
Anyway, you are saying that you don’t know?!】

Mariam raised a hand to stop the Captain General.

Wait— That was what she meant.

The officers all took a deep breath at this bold move, and waited for her to
write.

Mariam wrote quickly, but it still took more time than speaking:

『Even if we don’t know what exactly the enemy is planning, we can still do
something about it. Since it is a blast furnace, they won’t be able to take it
with them. If we send all our forces out to chase the Belgarian away, we
won’t need to worry about it.』

【Leave the capital to fight?!】

『It’s better than sitting here and guessing what the enemy forces is trying to
do.』

Everyone in the war room looked at each other.

Some started talking amongst themselves.

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The place became noisy.

Mariam continued writing:

『The Belgaria army already predicted this situation before the war. The
equipment brought all the way here by a renowned strategist isn’t just for
show. Even if we don’t know what it actually is, it is definitely something
that can break through the capital’s defenses.』

At this moment, the old butler raised his hand.

The room quiet down instantly.

The Emperor spoke:

【If we sent all our forces out, can we defeat the Belgarian army?】

The Captain General answered stiffly:

【I’m afraid… even with our army of 60,000, we won’t be able to best the
Belgarian army. Their cannons and rifles are vastly superior to ours. On top
of that, the quality of their cavalry and infantry are better than ours too.】

Seeing the wrinkles on the Emperor’s face deepen, the Captain General
quickly added:

【The strength of the Hispania Empire lies in our Navy! We won’t lose to the
High Brittania Kingdom’s steam ship!】

Freij thought:

— That’s because you haven’t engaged them in a straight shootout before,


right?

To be honest, the Hispanian Naval fleet was small and weak.

They were twenty years behind Belgaria and High Brittania.

They built a lot of cheap warships, and had to pick their opponents. For

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example, disguising themselves as pirates to attack merchant ships from other
countries.

Although they pretended it had nothing to do with Hispania on the surface.

However, these actions led to the Belgarian army invading right up to their
capital.

The Emperor nodded:

【If the sea route remains open, Cantanal will not fall.】

The Captain General bowed deeply:

【Your Majesty is right. We will keep the status quo and be prepared for
anything. We swear to defend the capital with our lives.】

The Emperor rest his right hand on the holy seal.

【May God be with you.】

The officers all gave thanks to their God.

And of course, Freij said that too.

He glanced to the side, and saw the words that shouldn’t be there left on the
paper beside Mariam’s hand:

『Even if we can’t win, we can still force the Belgarians away from their base
camp. If the enemy gave up their mobility to protect their important
contraption, we can even use it to our advantage and crush them.』

Freij kept this paper away.

And then placed his hand gently on the head of his daughter who was biting
her lips vexingly.

Battle of Cantanal, twentieth day—

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Three days ahead of schedule, Ferdinand reported that the project was
completed.

And then passed out.

Regis rushed over in a panic:

【Mr Ferdinand?!】

Eric who was kneeling on one knee beside him opened his eyes wide too.

【He’s asleep?!】

【… Well, he had been pulling all nighters.】

【Then let him have a good rest.】

【Can that thing shoot normally?】

Uwah! Ferdinand opened his eyes:

【Of course!】

【Ah, you’re awake.】

【What are you talking about? I didn’t sleep at all. Ah, Sir Strategist, come
take a look.】

Eric looked horrified:

【Why are you denying that you slept?】

【… He probably isn’t denying it, he just didn’t notice. He probably passed


out on his feet after working the entire night.】

【Uwahhh…】

His body should be overburdened now, but Ferdinand was still fleet on his
feet.

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【Ahh, what great weather. It’s a good day to fire cannons!】

【… Yes.】

After that, Regis asked Eric to call Altina over.

The Belgarian Empire basecamp—

There were four houses built in a row.

Each house was about 5 minutes walk apart.

Aside from Regis, there were a lot guards here. The engineers who erected
that contraptions were also looking from afar.

And then, Eric brought Altina over.

【So it’s completed?!】

【… Yes. Mr Ferdinand completed ahead of schedule.】

【It was a rush job, but we erected it perfectly!】

【Thank you!】

【………… Ah, I’m so happy!】

He lost conscious momentarily.

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Altina pulled away a little:

【Erm… Regis? Is Ferdinand such an emotional person?】

【… It’s because he didn’t sleep.】

Uwah, the other staff officers also gathered.

Jerome walked over with a yawn. There wasn’t any battle for the past twenty
days, so he had a relaxed time. It’s great that he wasn’t holding a wine bottle
in hand, but he still unbuttoned the collar of his uniform.

【Oh… What’s all this scrap metal?】

【Those aren’t scrap metals. How can you be so unkempt in the presence of
the Généralissime?!】

The deputy Marion buttoned Jerome’s uniform properly. However, she


wasn’t wearing armour today.

The knight commander of the Black Knights, Holger, and knight commander
of the Flying Sparrow Knights, Abidal Evra, were also here.

As the commander of the infantry, Balasko, was responsible for the defences
of the basecamp, he led the patrol personally.

The mercenaries from 《Renard Pendu》 weren’t here. After all, they didn’t
like crowds.

However, their strategist Jessica seemed unexpectedly curious, and was


observing from a distance.

Ferdinand waved a red flag.

The engineers in the small houses saluted, and carried out the final phase of
the project.

Regis looked from a spot slightly behind the house. As there were rope

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barriers, he didn’t go closer.

Altina tilted her head:

【Can’t we go closer to take a look?】

【… According to their calculations, it will be dangerous to go any closer.】

【Ehh?】

【… If there is an explosion, it isn’t safe at this distance either. But if we are


too far away, we won’t be able to see anything at all.】

【Is that so?】

A voice came from the house:

【Unleashed—!!】

The wooden walls fell in all four directions.

A cannon appeared.

It wasn’t a normal cannon. It was ten times bigger than a normal one, so big
that you would need to look up at it.

【Woaahh!!】 Cheers erupted from the crowd.

Regis clenched his fist.

【… Yes.】

Jerome stopped his yawn, and suddenly hooked Regis’ neck from behind:

【Hey, Regis! What’s that?!】

【Ughh… I-It’s a cannon.】

【I know! But why is it so big?!】

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【This is a ultra long range cannon, the 《120 siege cannon》. As you can see,
it’s too large to transport by land, and can’t be fitted onto a warship either.】

【I never imagined that you brought that thing here!】

【… Strictly speaking, what was brought here was the dismantled moulds,
blast furnace, fuel, steel and other materials. As explained, it was too big to
transport by itself, and breaking it into parts would lower it’s durability, so
we couldn’t do that. So we need the preliminary job of removing impurities
from the iron ore, then poured the molten iron into the mould to make it.】

Aside from the barrel, the smaller parts were transported here after making it
in a workshop.

Jerome asked excitedly:

【Can it fire?!】

【Of course. We made a prototype in the suburbs of Sembione, and the range
reached 3 Li (13km).】

If not, they wouldn’t have manufactured it at this spot.

However, according to their research, the shot would be affected by the wind,
temperature, humidity, the earth rotation and magnetic field.

After being transported through the road with constant humid sea breeze,
would the quality of the gunpowder be affected?

Could it perform as well as the prototype?

They built four cannons this time.

They were built some distance apart to prevent an explosion from one of
them from causing secondary explosion in the other cannons.

Ferdinand turned back:

【Sir Strategist… this is a historical moment. May we fire?】

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【… Your Highness.】

Altina nodded.

【In the Hispania capital of Cantanal, aside from the Emperor Amador
Haulnelaz Othello and 60,000 soldiers, there are also more than 100,000
civilians. If we use this giant cannon to its full capacity, it would probably
cause a lot of casualty to the citizens. Even so, I’m determined to win this
war. I believe Belgaria Empire’s victory will lead the world towards peace.
So—】

She lift a hand and swung it down:

【— Fire!!】

Ferdinand waved a red flag.

【Fire!】

The gunner laying prone to the ground pulled the rope hanging from the
cannon.

The cannon secured to the ground boomed.

A powerful shockwave spread out.

Even the tough soldiers screamed, and well trained warhorses neighed.

The barrel that had three times the diameter of a normal cannon shot out a
burst of flame.

A flame so red that it was almost white.

Which emitted a large amount of smoke.

The payload shot through the fire and black smoke.

The giant payload from the humongous barrel flew into the blue sky at
incredible speed.

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As they were quite far from the capital, the barrel was angled up, so the
payload drew an arc through the sky.

It fell beyond the horizon.

Smoke came up from there.

Shortly after, a “thud” came from there.

— Did it hit the target?

The soldiers started getting rowdy.

Ferdinand raised both his hands high.

【It worked ahhh!!】

The engineers cheered when they saw the shot fired off successfully, just like
the prototype.

The wind and the angle probably caused the flame to spread further than their
experiment did. It even caused a small fire.

One of the tents of the troopers were lit, and a group on firemen on duty
rushed over.

The horses ran off after being spooked, and the stablehands quickly ran after
them.

The cannoneer who was extremely close to the cannon fainted from the
shockwave, and the medics brought him away.

Altina looked at this terrible sight with a grim face:

【…Regis, is this a failure?】

【No no no… It’s a success. There are some damages, but this is a very
fruitful experiment.】

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【We are at war right now!? Did the shot landed?!】

【… We will only know if the shot was on target a while later.】

【Ehh?!】

【We built a tall watchtower, but the shot landed 3 Li (13km) away, that is
beyond the horizon.】

【Ahh… That’s true.】

【The observation team are hiding somewhere in between, a rider should be


rushing back with the results. From where the shot landed, we will have the
information needed to adjust the next shots— like I explained during the
naval battle, the cannons first shot is for observation, the second shot will
land closer, and the third shot will hit. That is the minimum standard for
artillery… Our target this time is a city, so I hope the second shot will be on
target.】

Before the observation results come in, they needed to clean out the cannon.
Firing one round would produce a massive amount of soot and mess up the
cannon’s position.

If there were any cracks in the barrel, they wouldn’t be able to fire the next
shot.

After climbing up the still hot cannon and inspecting the various parts,
Ferdinand made a circle gesture with both hands.

It seemed that the barrel was still serviceable.

Altina asked:

【When can we fire again?】

【… Wait for the barrel to cool, and the people to reload the gunpowder and
payload, all that would take an hour.】

【Ehhh?!】

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【Well… That’s really fast you know? Compared to the 《Lucia Rocket》 in
《Calun’s Adventures》, this is much quicker. That rocket can only fire every
two hours.】

【Is it really fine for you to compare this to a story book?!】

【… You are only saying that now? Ah, the other cannon is ready.】

Regis pointed to another cannon.

After inspecting the cannon that just fired, Ferdinand wiped his sweat and
stood at attention.

He already received the order from Altina, so he didn’t need to wait anymore,

He waved the flag.

【Fire—!!】

This time, the gunner hid behind a shield before pulling the rope.

The shockwave spread again.

The second shot was launched out through the thick smoke.

A giant shot drew a similar arc in the sky.

The cannon over there was operated by another team of engineer, and they
cheered “Cannon two, cowabunga!!”

Altina had a complicated expression.

【Hmm… If this made the enemy surrender, I will feel as happy as attending a
festival.】

【I feel the same.】

For the weapons though, it might feel like a pity to not be of use.

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When the third cannon was fired, the observation data of the first shot
arrived.

Ferdinand pumped his fist into the air.

【The first shot was on target! It hit Cantanal!】

Wahh! Not just the engineers, all the troops started to cheer.

Jerome curled his lips in a smile.

【Fufufu… How the tables have turned. Those Hispanian retards have to
come out of their hole now. Alright, prepare for battle! The enemy has more
numbers than us, so brace yourself!】

【W-Why do you look so happy…?】

Marion asked with a green face.

Jerome clenched his fists.

【Retard. We are here to slaughter the enemy. The killing will finally start, so
of course I will be happy!】

【If there is a battle, you might die too…】

【Hah! If there is someone that good, I will welcome it. Coming all the way
here won’t be a wasted trip then. Only if someone who can trade blows with
me show up.】

During this 20 days, aside from the pioneers, the other soldiers were all
idling.

The Belgarian basecamp was already fenced up and surrounded by war


trenches, the defences were just like a fort.

When the first few shots landed, the Hispania Empire still didn’t know what
was happening.

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Explosions happened in the marketplace and civilian houses, there was even
a fire.

They thought it was just an accident in the beginning, but there were reports
of loud cannon sound from the Belgaria camp, and multiple eye witness
accounts of shots flying from their side, and they reached a conclusion.

They were being bombarded.

Night—

An emergency war council was held.

This was the first time Freij knew of the Emperor attending a council after
dinner.

Mariam wasn’t summoned this time.

There wasn’t time for even that. That was how urgent the situation was.

The Captain General reported:

【The Belgarian army prepared a gargantuan cannon that has a range of 2


league (11km).】

All the staff officers suck in a breath of cold air.

Freij showed a bitter expression:

—Mariam’s judgement came true.

The enemy prepared a weapon to break the stalemate.

And they concealed this cannon when they attacked Fort Bassetti. Freij felt
ashamed to have lost to an enemy that was holding back.

The Captain General continued:

【According to scout reports, there are four gargantuan cannons in the middle

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of the Belgarian camp. They have many procedures to take before firing, and
could only fire once every hour.】

Phew… Everyone breathed out in relief.

【But if that is so…】

【If things goes well for them, they can fire 50 shots at us. Aside from its
range, the impact is powerful too.】

The Captain General pointed out the short sightedness of the staff officers.

As the battle gets worse, the commander will tend to underestimate the
enemy.

Freij nodded:

【Maybe the number of cannons will increase too.】

The staff officers’ faces glommed immediately.

They clearly didn’t want to think about this any more, but wasn’t this
obvious?

The Captain General must have thought about this question too.

【It appears that the Belgarian army used the blast furnace to make the
cannons. I don’t know how much supplies they actually have, but we have to
consider the possibility that they will make more cannons.】

A young officer stood up from his chair with a start:

【Let’s attack! It is definitely not God’s will for us to watch idly while the
capital burns!】

【That’s right! And we have a larger force than them!】

The other young ones let their blood got into their heads too.

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Freij didn’t say it out loud, but he was regretting being put on the back foot
strategically.

— Rather then leaving the capital to fight now, they should have cut off the
enemy’s supply line while they were stalled in Fort Bassetti instead.

Even attacking the Belgarians when they just reach the capital would be a
better option.

Back then, the enemy was exhausted after fighting and travelling for more
than half a month.

But now, they had sufficient rest and erected the defences of their camps.

They were ready for an attack.

No, the enemy only used their humongous cannon trump card after they were
ready.

A battle they could win by defending the fort had now changed, leaving them
no choice but to attack the enemy.

Another officer raised his hand.

【E-Erm… Our sea route is still open… And the enemy’s cannons can’t be
move… So…】

【So, what are you trying to say?】

Urged by the Captain General, that officer squeezed out meekly:

【We can move to another stronghold… What do you think, Sir?】

That wasn’t a bad proposal— Freij thought.

If Cantanal wasn’t a holy site.

As expected, the officer who raised this suggestion was lectured fiercely for
not understanding the importance of religion.

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Freij could empathize with him, but there were some battles they couldn’t run
from.

Maybe someone could think of a better reason after seeing their inevitable
defeat, and convince the Emperor to leave…

But their army was 60,000 strong.

The Belgarians only had 40,000.

More importantly, if the enemy soldier came near the walls, the naval fleet
would fire upon them.

There was no way to win— only a minority thought that.

The Captain General lowered his head and asked:

【I humbly propose that we attack. What are your thoughts, Your Majesty?】

Everyone looked at the silent Emperor Amador.

He nodded lightly.

【I will permit it. Robbing the lives of our devout believers without using
blades is the work of the devil. Purge the heretics.】

【Yes Milord! We will protect the peace of Your Majesty and the capital!】

Not just the Captain General, all the staff officers stood up and saluted.

All the officers moved to another room to discuss the details of the battle.

It was time for the Emperor to turn in.

Freij reached into his coat.

In his pocket was a piece of paper Mariam gave him before he left his house.

『Belgaria’s has finished setting up their base’s perimeters, and their defences

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are all set. Their rifles and infantry are both better than ours, there is no way
we can win in a straight up fight. You must never leave the capital for an all
out battle.』

The next day—

Altina pointed:

【They are here, Regis!】

The enemy forces emptied out from Cantanal. The Hispanian had decided to
fight on the plains.

Regis called for a messenger.

【… Ready the artillery.】

Understood! The soldier rode off on a horse.

Since this was a straight up battle, the basic strategy had already been
decided.

They would cut down the enemy numbers from long range with their medium
sized cannons.

When they drew closer, the riflemen will shoot volleys at them.

Once they start to charge, the heavy infantry will switch out the front ranks.
After bearing the brunt of the charge, the riflemen in the second rank will
open fire.

That was the gist of the plan.

Shortly after, a report came in:

【The Hispania forces are 60,000 strong! Their cavalry is leading the way!】

【… I see. We will stick to our plans, open fire when they get into range.】

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【Yes Sir!】

After watching the messenger ran off, Altina muttered:

【Is this normal?】

【… Yes. The enemy thinks we can’t win with just cannons and riflemen. So
they decided to charge with the cavalry to stop the effectiveness of the
riflemen, then crush us with their superior numbers— the 《120 Siege
Cannon》 couldn’t be moved after all, so we can’t adopt any special
formation.】

【Isn’t that a flaw?】

【Not at all… We spent all that effort to build that cannon to lure out them
out. We won’t be crushed by their forces. It seems that the commander of the
Hispanian army still doesn’t understand the power of the rifle. This is our
victory.】

【You are really confident.】

【… Please don’t worry.】

【But you looked a little uneasy?】

Regis touched himself. In the face.

He still felt uneasy at the sight of 60,000 enemy soldiers marching his way.

【… Well, there’s something that bothered me.】

【What is it?】

After hearing her question, Regis organized his thoughts and answered:

【… The enemy escaped spectacularly from Fort Bassetti. They should have
an amazing strategist.】

【Is that so?】

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He didn’t tell Altina the name of Mariam Louis Jiménez.

【But they didn’t harrass us even once when we were erecting the 《120 Siege
Cannon》. And the tactics for this battle is surprisingly normal… As if they
didn’t have any plan.】

Attempting to nullify the effectiveness of the riflemen with a cavalry charge


was too naive.

【Even with an excellent strategist, that person might not be in command of


their entire forces, right?】

【… That might be so. Maybe he got demoted after losing Fort Bassetti.】

He heard that girl was the daughter of the fort commander.

Maybe they lost the internal power struggle after losing that fort— Regis
thought.

Altina said jokingly:

【If they ran this time too, wouldn’t this be an easy victory?】

【… No it won’t.】

Ehh, she looked confused.

【It won’t? If the enemy fled, we can take Cantanal easily, right?】

【Even if that happens, the war will continue. For example, if the Belgaria
Empire’s capital Versailles fell, but Emperor Latreille is still alive, what will
the soldiers do?】

【Reorganize and take back the capital! Who cares about Latreille!?】

【… My example was bad.】

Right now, the Belgarian Empire had a Généralissime.

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Leaving the feeling of the citizens aside for now, she held a symbolic
position in the military.

Regis rephrased:

【… Not just for Belgaria… The empire will only lose if the Emperor
surrenders to an enemy nation while he is still alive. When the Emperor gives
the edict to stop further resistance, their government will then dissolve.】

There were other possibilities, such as the Emperor being killed by an enemy
soldier or committing suicide, which might lead to the collapse of the
Empire. But that was dependent on how the war was going.

If their fighting strength and command structure remained intact, even if the
Emperor died, the Empire could still stand.

Altina pondered and said:

【Oh, that means Regis wants to take the Hispanian Emperor alive?】

— Take alive.

Leaving her phrasing aside, her meaning was spot on.

Regis scratched his face:

【… Well, it will be problematic if the Emperor escaped. It is still too early


for them to abandon Cantanal so easily, since they had to save face.】

【Hmm.】

【Do you know about traps used to catch foxes? They are concealed, and
delicious bait is used to lure them in.】

【Regis, have you ever trapped a fox before?】

【… I read it in a book.】

The cannons boomed.

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When the Hispanian army reached a certain distance, the Belgarian army
started their bombardment.

The enemy cavalry started charging at the same time.

The fact that they were vanguards meant the calvary wasn’t weak.

Their speed could rival the knight corps from the Belgaria First Army or the
Germanian Federation’s cavalry.

The figure of them charging in full plate armour on a horse befit the ruler of
the battlefield.

However, this thinking was outdated.

The fence around the camp stopped the cavalry charge. The makeshift fence
could be trampled by the cavalry, but it was enought to slow them down.

【Fire!!】

On the command of the riflemen commander, the guns started shooting.

Countless bullets drilled small holes in the sturdy steel plate armour.

【Ehh?!】

【Ahh?!】

Their voices were muffled, and some didn’t even make any sound—

The cavalry fell one after another.

Another report came to Regis:

【We have decimated the enemy’s 2,000 cavalry!】

【… Yes.】

This was the obvious outcome of 2,000 cavalry charging 2,000 riflemen.

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With equal numbers, and fences and traps, riflemen could stop a cavalry
charge.

War had changed.

It was a cold way of saying it, but if we think of soldiers as money…

The knights needed to be trained from young, and taught swords, spears,
bows and horsemanship. They would also need full plate armour, lances and
all other equipment. Raising a war horse that wasn’t afraid of gunshots cost
more than the life earning of a commoner.

Raising a knight that could fight on the battlefield would take the money that
life earning of ten peasants— People often said that.

On the other hand, including the material cost, a rifle cost just one piece of
gold. That was half a year income for a peasant.

Even a conscript would be serviceable with three months of training.

The strategy of the Hispanian army was a failure from the start.

They wanted to stop the riflemen with their cavalry before pressing in with
their infantry… But before the infantry begin to charge, the cavalry got wiped
out.

Even so, the enemy didn’t falter.

Regis pulled back the 2,000 riflemen, and switched in a fresh group of 2,000
riflemen.

There were 6,000 riglemen, and another 4,000 in training.

Even High Brittania didn’t have an army of 10,000 riflemen. In this


continent, only the First and Fourth army would have such a unit.

A hail of bullets that the Hispania army never imagined rained down on their
soldiers.

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The Belgarian had the overwhelming advantage.

However, the enemy was still a 60,000 strong army.

After the battlefield was filled with corpses, they were finally entering melee
combat.

Regis issued the order:

【Riflemen fall back, heavy infantry switch in. Tell the Black Knights and
Flying Sparrow Knights— When the enemy’s second rank start to veer apart,
the knights should attack that weak spot.】

After switching out the front ranks, the infantry from both sides started
fighting.

This was the first hand to hand combat in the invasion of the Hispania
Empire.

Unlike the Hispania army that battled primarily on the sea, the Belgarian
army always fought on land,

The difference in the quality of the troops begun to show.

The Hispaniards pushed the Belgarians back with the momentum of their
initial charge, but the battle line held fast.

The Hispanian forces that were planning to surround their opponents by using
their superior numbers were thwarted by the two Belgarian knight corps.

Regis exhaled in relief:

【… We held the line.】

Altina’s expression darkened:

【The troops movement had dulled.】

【… Is that so? As expected, they had accumulated a lot of fatigue from the

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long campaign.】

【They had grown dull because there wasn’t any battles. They reacted after
thinking about it, and are already slower by one breath’s time.】

She said angrily.

【… Well, we can’t train on the march, or conduct battle exercises in the


battlefield.】

They did inspect the tidiness of the unit’s formation though.

Altina clapped her hands:

【We need to train from now on! The rifles gave us an advantage, but our
melee battle became a mess.】

【… I will think about it.】

Even though there had been several battles, Regis never thought their
infantry’s movement would turn dull.

He didn’t expect such a problem to arise after the riflemen got stronger.

As Regis couldn’t wield swords or pikes himself, it was difficult for him to
see the conditions of the soldiers.

Even now, his only thoughts on seeing them battle were “Everyone is so
amazing.”

Altina finally drew her sword.

Schwing! It sliced through the air. Her escort Eric opened his eyes wide from
her sudden movement.

Altina yelled:

【That’s terrible!】

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— She was acting just like her master, Lord Baltasar.

Regis was troubled.

He had to stop her from running to the front lines.

Imperial Year 851, December 31st—

The Belgaria Empire won the battle that was fought on the last day of the
year.

The Hispania army attacked with their entire army of 60,000, they didn’t
achieve the result they wanted. They switched formation three times, but their
attack was completely thwarted by the enemy, increasing the losses.

When the Captain General ordered a retreat, they lost almost 20,000 men.

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Chapter 5: Mariam Louis Jiménez
Blood seeped through the bandages.

Freij said in agony:

【…Mariam … If I die, you must live on freely. I’m not wealthy, but I still
have some money, Even a small noble is fine, if he is a good man… Find a
man… Who will treat you well like a normal girl…】

Mariam frowned troubledly.

She wrapped the bandage and pulled tight.

Freij’s face scowled:

【That hurts! Be more gentle.】

She sighed, and wrote with her pen that was on the table.

『Dear Father, a flesh wound on your arm won’t kill you.』

【No no no, it is deep enough to hit my bones, right?】

『There are no bones in such a shallow spot. There’s plenty of meat though.』

【Plenty of meat… Hey, I’m not fat, right? Right? Hey Mariam, this is a
serious question.】

『Instead of that, tell me about the battle.』

She took out a map of the nearby terrain, and placed red and white chess
pieces on top of it.

Freij sighed.

— Look how happy she looks.

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She definitely saw a real battlefield before, but she wasn’t afraid at all. She
was completely in her elements.

Her grandfather would look lively when he talked about things related to war
too.

Was it because of her blood line? She couldn’t help sighing.

Freij sat down and started shifting the pieces.

【We advance this way, and when we were trying to attack like this, we were
blocked…】

『Retarded.』

【Is that so? I think this is normal.】

『At the very least, use a night raid or attack in rainy weather.』

【Don’t say that. This is the first time we commanded a 60,000 strong army.】

It would be hard to see if the unit was moving correctly in the dark, or if
anyone had fallen behind. If it rained heavily, the sound of the rain would
drown out the voice of the commander.

They wouldn’t be able to manage a large scale battle.

『This requires training. Just mustering all the troops is useless. After all,
these thousands of soldiers couldn’t move together as one.』

【I know, but it can’t be helped. When Belgaria attacked, we never thought


we would need to gather a massive army of 60,000.】

【?!】

Wait— She grabbed Freij’s hand.

【What?】

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『Why did you move that piece?』

The piece in question was the cavalry of the Belgarian army.

【Why… That’s what happened. I was watching from behind, so I


remembered it all. This is correct.】

Upon her urging, he continued the next moves. This time, he moved a
Hispania piece.

The strange thing was, the order seemed to be reversed.

But Freij was sure that was the right order.

Before the soldiers from his army moved, the enemy already seized a better
position.

The enemy was already prepared to charge. In that case, they would be taken
out one at a time even if they had the advantage in numbers.

【I guess we are just unlucky.】

『Dear Father, did you hit your head when you fell off your horse?』

【I didn’t fall off my horse! I was just grazed by a ricochet.】

『The enemy commander predicted the movements of the Hispania army.』

【What?!】

『I could basically predict the same too. On the surface, the Hispania
commander choosing to attack the heart of the enemy isn’t wrong, but this is
actually the trap the enemy set intentionally. All the weak points in the
enemy’s base are all a trap they prepared ahead of time.』

【It can’t be… How is that possible?】

『Intentionally showing holes in their defences, and shoring them up when our
side makes a move.』

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【… Was their next move the same thing?】

『Yes. The Belgarian strategist should be that Regis. If the commander was
him, then he is a really timid man. He seemed very afraid of the enemy not
moving according to his script.』

【Timid? That strategist?】

『And the Hispania army that followed the script of that strategist flawlessly
are too kind.』

【Don’t say that. Everyone fought to protect the capital with their lives on the
line. We are not wooden chess pieces.】

Ughh, Mariam turned stiff.

She then dropped her shoulders:

『I’m sorry.』

Freij scratched his head:

【Well, those who fell while fighting for god would be summoned before
Him, and be liberated from the shackles of labour. They are feasting in
heaven ahead of us.】

【……】

【By the way, I carried out the scheme you mentioned last time. I chose some
men from their faces. If it works, we will receive a signal tonight.】

『You are amazing, dear Father.』

【Hmmp, you finally notice.】

『As expected of my son.』

【Hey, stop that!】

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Was she possessed by her grandfather, who was also Freij’s father?— Freij
was worried about that, and such a joke was very scary.

Mariam smiled.

She only looks like a teenage girl when she smiles. It felt a little eerie since
she couldn’t speak, but Freij had gotten used to her.

She then reverted back to her calm face:

『The plan has been executed. Can we find the enemy’s weak spot with that?
The next step is important.』

【Ahh, well… I think… I should report this to His Majesty.】

『I will let Father make the decision.』

The next morning—

The war meeting in the palace was like a funeral.

After prettying up the draft several times, the report said the inflicted losses
on the enemy was 10,000, and their losses was about 10,000, an even match.

However, the truth was 3,000 enemy casualties and 20,000 friendly
casualties.

Their advantage in numbers was gone, and they were now even with the
enemy.

On top of that, they lost their precious heavy cavalry.

Captain General said stiffly:

【… Also… The Belgaria army’s Généralissime call for our surrender.】

They want us to admit our defeat.

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After finishing his report, the Captain General stood stiffly there like a statue
and didn’t sit down.

The Emperor was so quiet that he might as well be asleep.

The other officers also waited with bated breath, as if they were on the verge
of suffocating to death.

Explosion from the distance could be heard every now and then in this
silence.

Belgaria was stll bombarding this city with their gigantic cannon. It might hit
the palace one day. Even their war room wasn’t safe.

Freij raised his hand.

【Erm…】

Everyone looked surprised.

The atmosphere was heavy, but Freij couldn’t change track and say 【No, it’s
nothing.】

He mustered his courage and said:

【Actually, I carried out a scheme during the battle yesterday.】

【What?!】

The Captain General who was the commander didn’t feel that keeping him in
the dark was a praiseworthy act.

However, the Emperor silenced the place with a raised hand.

【Alright, explain the details.】

【… Tch.】

The Captain General sat down in deference.

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Since the Emperor bade him to continue, Freij couldn’t sit now. He said:

【Ehh… I picked some subordinates who looked like Belgarians, and made
them wear the enemy equipment we seized and infiltrate into the enemy ranks
during the chaos of battle.】

The Emperor narrowed his eyes:

【Oh?】

【Some time ago, when the enemy attacked Fort Bassetti, we captured some
enemy soldiers, that’s where we got their equipment from. We also
interrogated them for the enemy’s passcode, so they won’t be exposed that
easily.】

A password would only be known to allies, used to identify friendly soldiers,


and prevent the enemy from infiltrating.

Seeing that everyone was listening quietly, Freij continued:

【Well… I ordered them to find a chance to sabotage those huge cannons, so


we won’t need to be so anxious about attacking them.】

【Very good.】

Freij said frantically in response to the Emperor’s compliment:

【My deepest thanks… However, the enemy is also wary of such sabotage
too. So we need to create a chance for them.】

【……】

Seeing everyone urging him in silence, he carried on speaking.

Freij wasn’t sure if this plan would aggravate them, and felt his heart racing:

【Well… This is a plan that will incite panic in the Belgarian army without
risking our forces… And… That is to poison the lake.】

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Not just the Emperor, even the Captain General sitting beside him opened his
eyes wide.

【What did you say?!】

【Ah, no, it’s just a suggestion! An idea!】

Freij waved his hands in a panic.

The faces of the other officers also turned gloomy. The lake near Cantanal
was important to the citizens, the water source that nurtured the prosperity of
the Hispanian Empire.

It was taken over by Belgaria Empire as a base camp, but the orchard there
was famous, and every Cantanal resident has eaten that fruit before. It was
the taste of their home.

If they poisoned it, who knows how many years it would take before it
reverted back to normal.

【Granted.】

The one who said that was the Emperor.

Even the staff officers couldn’t conceal their surprise.

The Captain General said with trembling words.

【E-Erm… Your Majesty… Poisoning the lake? But, if that happens…】

【The Belgarians are heretics, what’s there to hesitate?】

Everyone gasped, but no one dare refute the Emperor.

Everyone stood and bowed deeply:

【We are honoured by your edict. We will expel the enemy out of our sacred
land.】

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The Emperor placed his right hand on the holy seal:

【May His will be done.】

Freij felt a chill down his spine.

The Emperor prepared to leave.

At this moment— He remembered something and stopped, before turning to


Freij:

【I want to ask something.】

【Huh?! Yes, Your Majesty!】

The sudden question threw Freij in a panic.

【The plan to infiltrate the enemy and poison the lake… Did you came up
with them?】

【Ughh…】

These were all Mariam’s ideas, of course.

But these plans were too despicable.

If he said his daughter’s name, that would be akin to pushing all the
responsibility onto her.

If he claim to be one who came up with it, then he would be a father who
took his daughter’s merit for his own.

Sweat covered Freij’s brows.

【… This is a revelation from God.】

【Oh?】

【… When I was praying, I heard the revelation from God.】

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The Emperor nodded slightly three times.

【If that is so, then this is the right plan.】

【I am very thankful!】

Freij bowed deeply. The Emperor then left the room.

The Captain General facepalmed himself.

【Ahh, this is really…】

All the officers cast accusatory gazes at Freij, but he was already resolved for
that.

He muttered:

【… I don’t like doing this either. If we won the battle yesterday, then I won’t
need to speak about this plan either.】

Everyone lowered their heads upon hearing that.

Three days after the battle.

The Belgarian army continued their long ranged bombardment of Cantanal.

After dinner—

Clarice brought a fresh flask of water for Regis’ tent.

【The water from the lake smells a little, so I added something to mask the
smell.】

【Is that so? Thank you.】

【There are more and more people who have stomach upsets. Please take care
of your health, Sir Regis.】

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【I understand.】

Speaking of which, Regis felt a little hot yesterday.

Was it because of fatigue?

When Clarice was about to leave the tent, another woman came in.

She was the strategist of 《Renard Pendu》— Jessica.

The two ladies looked at each other, and there seemed to be sparks in the air.

However, Clarice dislike speaking with others, and left quietly with a bow.

Jessica laughed softly.

【How scary.】

【… What’s the matter?】

【I’m thinking that it is almost time for the Hispania Empire to give their
reply.】

【We have been sending them demands for surrender, but they didn’t
answer.】

【Are the bombardment ineffective?】

Jessica tilted her head.

Regis refute that:

【According to spy reports, it dealt heavy damage to the enemy. Many


citizens wants to leave the capital.】

Their sea routes were still open, so they could leave via ships.

【That’s true. If it was me, I would have fled.】

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【The Hispania Emperor prohibited the citizens from sailing out to sea.】

【Ara.】

【… The Hispania Army suffered heavy losses in the battle some days ago,
but they still had 40,000 soldiers. The citizens will need to keep working to
maintain the forces. They would need cooks, laundromats, doctors, barbers,
musicians…】

【It would be great if the Belgarian army have such people with us too.】

【Yes, it will keep morale up.】

They took turns to cook and do laundry. There were doctors traveling with
the army, but their hair were cut by each other with knives.

Jessica nodded:

【And they had not revolt yet, as expected of a religious country.】

【Their tolerance for suffering is very high.】

【Will the Emperor run away by himself?】

【… They haven’t been pushed that far. Even if they did run, it will be
pointless without an army. If they move 10,000 or more troops, we would
notice easily.】

When she heard what Regis said, she put a finger on her lips.

【Is that so… That’s the reason why you let the enemy forces off?】

【Ehh?! No, not at all.】

【If it was you, you could have destroyed the enemy forces in the last battle,
right?】

【… I don’t want to see such a horrible scene.】

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20,000 corpses were terrible enough.

This wasn’t just a problem with numbers though…

But he didn’t dare imagine having 60,000 corpses littering the battlefield.

Regis continued:

【… It’s true that I didn’t want to see such a scene, but we didn’t let them go
meaninglessly either.】

【That’s good then.】

Jessica poured water from the flask into a cup.

And moved it to her lips.

【Hmm?】

【… What’s wrong?】

【This water…?】

【Oh, Clarice said the lake water smells, and added something to make it
fragrant.】

【Did you do anything to the maid that caused her to bear a personal grudge
against you?】

【Ehh?!】

Jessica put the cup on the table.

【You better check this out… No, it’s probably too late.】

【… What do you mean?】

At this moment, someone ran into the tent.

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It was the female doctor:

【Sir Strategist! It’s terrible! A lot of soldiers are down…!!】

【What?!】

Regis wanted to stand up.

But his knees buckled, and he keeled over.

【Ehh…?】

When Regis even realized it, he was already on the floor.

The female doctor shouted:

【Sir Strategist!】

【Auric!】

Jessica also yelled.

Dinner started churning from his stomach.

The intense pain made the world seem red.

And then, came the sound of a large explosion.

It sounded similar to the cannon fire of the 《120 Siege Cannon》, but it was
definitely different.

This noise happened four consecutive times.

It was rowdy outside the tent.

Regis tried to open his eyes.

【Ugghhh…】

【Pull yourself together, Sir Strategist!】

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【Vomit it out! It will help keep you alive!】

The female doctor and Jessica knelt beside him.

Regis reached out his hand:

【… Hurry… Check if Altina is safe.】

Intermission

The girl watched the morning sun from a balcony.

Her blonde hair shone under the golden light, making her look like a goddess
that descended from heaven.

Her name right now was Elise Archibald.

【Bastian, don’t make that face.】

Elise will be going to the south today. She will be following the Fourth Army
south, and then make her way back to the High Brittania Kingdom.

Heinrich Trois Bastian de Belgaria was the younger brother of the current
Emperor. He couldn’t stay freely by her side anymore.

The youth rubbed his eyes:

【M-My face isn’t weird!】

【Fufu… A smile still suits you the best.】

【Elise, you must take care of yourself, alright? Don’t push yourself too
hard!】

【That’s what I want to tell you. Bastian, don’t be too reckless, okay?】

【I will try…】

【Your martial skills are strong, but if you keep depending on that, it will fail

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you one day.】

Bastian scratched his head:

【I know. Professeur Bourgine also tells me that. So in the end, you are still
lecturing me, huh.】

Elise tilted her head:

【Do you want to talk about something else?】

【Ah, no… well, that’s fine too.】

【What do you want to talk about then? I’m curious.】

Bastian felt his cheeks burning up:

【It’s nothing.】

Elise turned flushed too.

【You are making me embarrassed too.】

【W-Why?!】

【…Bastian, we will definitely meet again.】

She reached out her right hand.

After hesitating for a moment, Bastian took her slender hand with his rugged
right hand.

【Yes, we will…】

【I hope you can become the person you aspire to be.】

【Elise too, you must succeed, okay?】

【I won’t fail. I have help from you and so many people. I can’t fail again.】

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【I want to continue helping you too…】

The two of them let go of their hands at the same time.

【You have your obligations too. I don’t want to get in your way.】

【Well, I still have to write the most amazing masterpiece in the future too.】

【I’m not expecting much though.】

【No no no, it’s an adventure chronicle that will definitely make you laugh.】

【Fufu…】

It was almost time.

After exhaling, Bastian put his hands on his waist.

【Let’s have breakfast. Professeur Bourgine should be up now… I feel sad


that this will be the last time I can eat Elise’s bad cooking…】

【!】

Elise suddenly hugged Bastian tightly.

With her arms around him.

【Bastian… Bastian… Bastian…】

【Ah, erm, huh…?!】

【Boo… hoo…】

【Elise……?】

【I thought about it many, many times. To forget about my country and keep
staying with you…】

【You…】

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Tears swelled out from Elise’s eyes.

Bastian was at a loss:

【Me too. I thought about taking you with me and running to some other
country.】

【……】

【But...】

Elise nodded:

【Yes. I know. I have the expectation of many people on my shoulders.】

【We can’t let them down.】

She nodded again.

And then closed his eyes.

【But, at least for now… Bastian… can you listen to my wilful request?】

【Ahh… erm… yeah.】

Bastian hugged Elise back.

Then bent his body and slowly drew near her lips.

And pressed his own lips on top of hers.

Bang! He felt a sharp pain in his head.

【That hurts?!】

When Bastian jumped up, he realized he was in his own bed.

Standing beside him was Elise— Or rather, someone that somewhat


resembled Elise.

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She was Franziska.

When he first met her, she was wearing light armour and wielding a
crossbow. A mercenary from the renowned 《Renard Pendu》.

But right now, she was wearing an apron and holding a frying pan.

【How long are you going to sleep, Bastian?!】

He dreamt the same thing again.

It was memories of the day he parted with Elise. Even though it had been
several months.

Bastian sighed, and nursed his temple.

【Don’t hit me with a frying pan.】

【It’s your fault for not getting up.】

【It can’t be helped… I was reading late into the night.】

【Professeur Bourgine is waiting you in the dining room.】

【Really?! She’s going to scold me again!】

Bastian jumped off his bed and started stripping.

Franziska started blushing.

【R-Retard! Why are you stripping all of a sudden?!】

【How can I change without taking off my clothes?!】

【Can’t you see there is a maiden here!?】

【Huh? Where? Ah, hey, stop that! The frying pan really hurts!】

Five minutes later—

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Bastian rubbed his head as he rushed to the table for breakfast.

There was a lot of sausages and pickled cabbages on the table.

【It’s the same thing again.】

Bourgine who sat opposite him said with an awkward smile:

【After the High Brittania cooking, it’s Germanian food this time huh. How
luxurious.】

Franziska poked at the pickled cabbages with a red face.

【It taste nice, right? I hope you won’t compare this to High Brittania
cooking.】

【Well, the taste isn’t bad though.】

But it’s the same dish every day… Bastian grumbled in his heart.

Bourgine asked:

【Bastian, are you going on a trip today?】

【Yes, I already planned it all out. I will be meeting with the western nobles in
Rouen city. I will be back at night.】

【It will be great if they concur with you.】

【That’s right.】

Franziska shrugged:

【It can’t be help. I will go with you.】

【But why? It might be dangerous.】

【Bastian, I’m not sure if you can wear your formal attire by yourself.】

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【Of course I can.】

【Even men need to put on makeup.】

【Really—?!】

She pouted:

【B-Because you helped me so much… So I want to help you too! And I don’t
have the money to repay you.】

【Well, it’s fine…】

Bastian’s grandfather was a Marquis, and Bastian was the younger brother of
the Emperor. He had the money to spare.

【I can help you in other ways, so you can concentrate on your goal.】

Haha, he laughed wryly and said:

【Thank you, I will be in your care then.】

【Right!】

Franziska gave a firm nod.

Bastian clenched his fist:

【Since there are so many people supporting me, I have to work hard too.】

【I don’t really get it, but do your best!】

【No no no… I already said this a lot of time right?】

【I think you did—】

Seeing that Franziska still didn’t understand, Bastian said:

【I want to set up a parliament in the Belgaria Empire.】

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