Chapter 157
Eastern
Border War ⑬ - After the
Battle
Translator : PolterGlast
The events taking
place on the southern border of the Kyle Kingdom had not yet reached the
far-off eastern border.
With undeveloped
information and communication networks, it took a week to ten days for messages
to be relayed.
What's more, because
the southern lords surrounding the southern border had rebelled and were
blockading information, accurate reports had still not reached Takuhir and the
others fighting on the kingdom's eastern border...
Around this time, the
Kyle Kingdom army deployed on the eastern border had won the battle and had
completely swept the forces of the Istoria Imperial Kingdom from the border
region.
Even after the
fighting ended, many survivors from the Istoria Imperial Kingdom's army
remained within the fortress. Most of them were those who were wounded and
unable to move, or those who had lost their will to fight due to eye pain and
other ailments.
Just as we were
entering the fortress with the Kyle Kingdom's command staff, a small commotion
occurred.
"Among the enemy
prisoners, there appears to be someone of high rank. It seems they are
recovering from a serious wound and were sleeping in a bed, but the truth
is..."
Margrave Hamish looked
at me and nodded while speaking with the reporting soldier.
"Hmm... I see.
Baron Solis, may I ask a favor of you? I would like to borrow the power of your
Holy Mage."
"Understood. I
shall go, accompanied by Marianne."
I replied, and
together with Marianne, we visited the place where the wounded prisoner was
being held.
Unlike the other
prisoners, this one was lying on a bed in a room of a building. Marianne
immediately rushed over to check the condition of the wounds.
"Lord Takuhir,
it's likely several ribs are broken, and there's severe bruising all over the
body. As things are, she might not make it. I'd like to perform treatment
immediately... is that alright?"
"Right. Please,
hurry... hmm? She?"
As the bedding was
pulled back for the examination, the wounded person, stripped down to their
undergarments, was unmistakably a woman with short-cut, greenish hair.
I finally understood
why Margrave Hamish had specifically asked me, someone who had a female Holy
Mage in their service.
Marianne immediately
began treatment with Holy Magic, and the woman's body was enveloped in a soft,
yet comforting, faint light.
Before long, the woman
opened her eyes. She frantically looked around, checked her own body, trying to
understand what had happened.
"You're alright
now. You will be saved. You'll need to rest for a while, but I've healed the
fractures and the bruising on your leg, so you'll be able to walk soon."
Marianne spoke to her
in a gentle voice.
"Are you... an
Envoy, too?"
After a moment, she
finally uttered those words.
"Too?" That
part caught my attention.
The word
"Envoy" was what the enemy prisoners from the battle three days ago
had used to refer to Marianne and Ranatoria, who had treated them.
If she said
"too," did that mean she was also a mage?
"Excuse me for interjecting.
She is an Envoy under my command. There are other Envoys, and right now, the
soldiers of the Imperial Kingdom's army are receiving treatment outside."
"Envoys are
treating soldiers?"
She seemed to be
considerably confused.
"...Are you, my lord,
a Cardinal of the Kyle Kingdom? My apologies. I am Aura, and I have been
appointed as the Envoy of Wind. I am grateful that you have saved my life,
but..."
Just as I thought! She
was one of the Envoys revered by the soldiers, a very precious asset in the
Istoria Imperial Kingdom.
"My name is Solis
von Takuhir. I cannot guarantee your freedom of movement, but I will arrange
for you to be able to focus on your treatment in peace. Later, I will guide you
to where the soldiers of the Istoria Imperial Kingdom's army are being
protected, having received treatment just as you have."
When I told her this,
she seemed a little relieved.
It would be better for
her peace of mind if she were protected alongside the Imperial Kingdom soldiers
who were captured in the battle three days ago, received treatment, and now
revered Marianne and Ranatoria. It would likely make her more open to us as
well.
It was after the fact,
but after making those arrangements, I reported the matter to Margrave Hamish
and consulted with him about her future.
※
Her current situation
felt like a dream to Aura. According to what she had believed and fought for
until now, it should have been a nightmare.
She was born the
daughter of a soldier of the Istoria Imperial Kingdom. Her father was a
sergeant renowned as a master of the longbow, the pride of the Imperial
Kingdom.
Influenced by her
father, she played with bows and arrows since childhood, and by the time she
was fifteen, she had become known as a divine archer.
But she resented the
fact that she was a woman. Because with a woman's strength, she could not
handle the powerful longbow.
Around the time she
gave up on her dream of following in her father's footsteps and becoming a
longbowman, she received a sudden summons from the church.
And so, she became an
Envoy candidate in the church, called an "Apostle," and a short time
after that, following the church's recommendation, she underwent the Envoy
summoning ritual.
That was three years
ago.
After becoming an Envoy,
her life changed dramatically.
She disliked being
served by so many people, but being able to act alongside the longbowmen and be
of use to them was, for her, equivalent to a dream she had given up on coming
true, and she gladly fulfilled her role.
Her parents were also
extremely happy about her success in life. But her and her parents' happy times
did not last long.
A short while after
becoming an Envoy, her mother died suddenly from a plague, and her father also
lost his life due to battle wounds sustained on a different battlefield from
this western border.
Aura pleaded for
healing by a Holy Mage, another Envoy, but the church would not permit the use
of a divine miracle for a mere sergeant.
In the Imperial
Kingdom, receiving healing from an Envoy was considered the highest honor.
Only a select few
high-ranking individuals recognized directly by the Imperial King, or those who
made large donations to the church, could be granted that honor.
If only my father
could have received the healing of Holy Magic... It was all because my own
power was lacking...
Aura had carried this
regret in her heart ever since.
However, the Envoys of
the Kyle Kingdom were treating even the soldiers of the enemy army with divine
miracles as if it were a matter of course. This was something that would be
absolutely unthinkable in the Istoria Imperial Kingdom.
She remembered a story
her father had told her before he died, about a time he fought and won against
another enemy nation, not the Kyle Kingdom.
Only those prisoners
who could endure transport were allowed to live. The rest, those who were
wounded and would be a hindrance, were to be executed on the spot.
The only exceptions
were those of high rank, even among the enemy. They were temporarily protected
in exchange for ransom, but if payment was not made, they were immediately
executed.
Furthermore, what
awaited those who survived transport was a life of hard labor in mines until
they died.
Once a person became a
prisoner, no matter what happened, they would never receive decent treatment.
This was common
knowledge to her and all the soldiers of the Istoria Imperial Kingdom.
But... the Kyle
Kingdom army was completely different.
Even the prisoners
were given proper meals and beds, incomparable to what they would receive in
the Istoria Imperial Kingdom, and the wounded were receiving appropriate
medical treatment.
They even asked for
the prisoners' help to respectfully bury the remains of their comrades, who
were enemy combatants.
We are the vanguards
of God, and we will defeat the inhuman Kyle Kingdom army, descendants of
monsters, to build God's paradise in this impure land. That is what she had
been taught, what she had believed, and what she had fought for.
But seeing the Kyle
Kingdom army's treatment of prisoners, it made her own Imperial Kingdom army
seem more like the kin of devils.
She honestly no longer
knew what was right.
※
Raphael had secretly
brought out some liquor again today and was visiting the prisoners who had been
captured earlier.
At first, the
prisoners were suspicious of him, but they eventually warmed up to the friendly
man who didn't act like a soldier at all and even had the air of a ruffian.
They had come to look forward to his secret nightly visits with alcohol.
"Alright, one cup
each. The guys over there are all so serious. We've got plenty of booze, but
they've gone and banned drinking. Man, it's so damn gloomy. Hey! You! Don't you
go drinking my share!"
"Hahaha! Brother!
Drinking secretly among the enemy... I don't know if that's bold or... you
really love your drink, huh?"
"You bet! What's
left of me if you take away my booze? For a snack tonight, tell me a story
about the women of the Imperial Kingdom. I heard they're all beauties, is that
true?"
"Brother, it's
not just booze, you like that stuff too!"
"Well, yeah. For
me, booze and women are what I live for. By the way, I caught a glimpse
today... isn't the Imperial Kingdom's Envoy-sama a real stunner? I was
shocked."
"Well, that's
true, but... hey, brother, listen to me. That one's off-limits. If you get any
funny ideas, you'll get divine punishment."
"Yikes! Now
that's... scary. Is she, I mean, is the Envoy-sama, someone special?"
"Oh yeah, you bet
she is! From what I've heard, the church pours a ton of money into summoning an
Envoy."
"Is that right?
I'd like a piece of that action. If I got a position like that, would I have my
pick of booze and women?"
"Give it up,
brother. I heard that even among the Apostles chosen by the church, an Envoy
only descends for one in fifty."
"No, no, it's not
that many! I heard it's one in several hundred. Just being recognized as an
Apostle by the church is a huge deal in the first place."
"Well, for a guy
like you who's drinking here... it's a world you'll never be a part of, that's
for sure."
The other men who were
listening also chimed in.
"Hmph, you ain't
wrong. Is there anyone else who loves booze and women as much as I do, who's
less suited for the holy church?"
"Hahaha! That's
for sure. But brother, you bring us booze. In that sense, you're like a
gracious god of liquor, ain't ya?"
"Hahaha! You
ain't wrong. If there was a god like this, we'd pray to him every day."
"Hmph, even if
you start praying now, you still only get one cup!"
As part of his
intelligence work, Raphael compiled the information he obtained from the
prisoners and reported it to Takuhir each time.
Much of the
information gathered from soldiers was often vague, but sometimes there were
unexpected nuggets. Knowing the enemy's situation as part of intelligence
activities—his steady work was an extremely important role.
Though some apparently
said he was just using intelligence activities as an excuse to enjoy drinking
on the battlefield...
※
"Margrave Hamish,
I have a small proposal, if I may?"
One day, on the 14th
day of the war, I visited the Margrave. Now that the battle was decided, I
wanted to rush to Teigoon immediately, but that wasn't possible.
The post-war cleanup
would still take time.
The Holy Mages were
still busy treating the wounded. Furthermore, the repairs to the recaptured
fortress required the power of the earth mages and Bart.
Also, as a result of
so much bloodshed, we were once again pressed to deal with monsters.
Unlike the Southern
Gate, the eastern border is extremely close to the demon territory. For that
reason, after a battle, it was always necessary to prepare for monster attacks
and repel those that came.
What made me feel a
little more at ease was that a second report had already arrived from Teigoon.
According to the
report from Miseri, the initial response had been successful and the infection
was subsiding, and the quarantine had worked well, preventing its spread to
other regions. Reading this, we sighed in relief.
"What is it now?
Are you going to surprise me again?"
The Margrave replied,
joking a little.
"Margrave, what
do you believe is the purpose behind the Istoria Imperial Kingdom's dispatch of
troops?"
"That would be to
secure interests in the demon territory. To put it simply, they want the
catalysts used in their rituals, wouldn't you say? I hear that nation has no
official trade channels with our country, and smuggled catalysts are extremely
expensive."
"Exactly as you
say. They pay an enormous price to confirm aptitude. They narrow down
candidates through an uncertain method and have likely failed dozens, sometimes
over a hundred times. In a situation like this, I believe there's no reason to
let smugglers get rich off them."
"Meaning?"
"As a condition
for a future truce, we permit the export of a certain amount of catalysts. As
part of a business venture conducted by you, Margrave. What do you think of
this plan?
They're flowing in anyway,
no matter how much we regulate them. In that case, I believe we should secure
that profit and allocate it to our defense budget.
We buy the catalysts
found on the eastern border directly, at a price slightly cheaper than what
they are secretly procuring them for, and without going through middlemen or
merchant guilds, and wholesale them to the Istoria Imperial Kingdom as a
business officially recognized by His Majesty.
By doing so, wouldn't
it bring enormous revenue to your side, Margrave, and also benefit the Imperial
Kingdom?
The border's defense
will be strengthened by the price they pay. Let's have them tighten the noose
around their own necks."
"Wha-! ...Hahaha!
You say the most interesting things. Well, it does involve another party, but
it might be worth consulting His Majesty about."
"By the way, I
had something to discuss with you as well. In about four more days, our
preparations here will be in order. At that point, the expeditionary force will
leave the garrison behind and return to the Royal Capital in triumph.
This battle cannot be discussed
without you. Your achievements have been that great. There will be a conferment
of honors from His Majesty, but I must also give my thanks.
In addition to the captured
goods I've already given you and the 500 prisoners we spoke of before, I will
entrust you with an additional 500 prisoners from among those currently
recuperating. They refuse to listen, saying, 'Let us go with the Envoys.'
The 500 who can endure
the march may as well return to your domain with your army. The rest will be
sent along from here at a later date. In addition to that, I will also entrust
the Envoy of Wind to you.
His Majesty and a
select few will be informed about this Envoy, but in the official records, she
will be left as having died. That's how it is. My apologies, but please lend us
your strength here for just four more days."
And so, Takuhir and
his party proceeded with the post-war cleanup, and on the morning of the 18th
day since the start of the war, they finally left the eastern border and began
their march to the Royal Capital.
Baron Solis's army,
leading a force that had grown by 500 men since its departure.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
-
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Good or Hype
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
nick nasca
SD Fox
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
