Chapter 237
(Kyle Calendar Year 513: Age 20)
The Beginning of a Two-Front War
Translator : PolterGlast
While Takuhir and his group were meeting with the
messenger sent by Minister of Foreign
Affairs Duke Klein, the Minister
of Foreign Affairs himself was also meeting with a messenger from a
neighboring country in the Royal Capital,
Kylar.
"Well now, Sir Messenger. I thank you for coming all
this way, but this story does not quite sit well with me. I heard from the
intermediary that you are an envoy from the Prime Minister of the Fearalt
Principality, but this is the first I have heard of your country having a
Prime Minister... What is the meaning of this?"
"Hahaha, my apologies. Our leader, Duke Ifris,
has taken charge of the Fearalt Principality in place of the King, who
has vacated the Royal Capital to
suppress a rebellion in the southern frontier. It is only natural that you
would not know."
"Oh? I had heard the Royal Capital was seized by a rebel army."
"That is likely misinformation spread by the rebels to
your country. The Royal Capital, Fairy,
is quite peaceful. Rather, the problem is that the King was surrounded by the
rebel army at the frontier and has gone missing. All of us nobles who support
the Principality are working tirelessly to have a
new King ascend the throne quickly and stabilize the country. However, the
whereabouts of those who are to become the new King are currently
unknown..."
"Oh? That is a story full of surprises. If it is true,
that is..."
"Minister of
Foreign Affairs Klein, it seems you live in a world full of daily
surprises. According to what we have learned, there are rumors that the noble
personages of our country are staying here in Kylar. What are your
thoughts on this?"
"Is there such a rumor? That sounds rather
troublesome."
"Yes, very troublesome. For your country... We are
prepared to take any measures to push forward the coronation of the new King.
Of course, for the sake of national stability, many believe that measures
involving military might are unavoidable."
"Ho ho ho, that is a dangerous story."
"Indeed. We also have some grasp of the situation your
country is in. War has commenced
on the eastern border, and you harbor threats in the south, or so I hear. If a
threat from the west were added to this, it would be more than just dangerous,
would it not?"
"Hoh, is that statement your own personal view?
Or..."
"Of course, these are the words of His Excellency the
Prime Minister. However, it is my own personal view to speak out of
consideration for your country. Even within your country, those who inherit
traditional noble houses are pained by this situation and wish for us to
intercede. It would be better not to spurn their consideration..."
"But this is a problem. We do not know the whereabouts
of your country's noble personages. Even assuming for the sake of argument that
such people were staying here as you say... 'A mere Prime Minister should not
meddle in agreements made between Kings!' Surely my King would say something
like that and become furious like a raging fire."
"You will not regret this?"
"Regret or not, I have no recollection of the
matter."
"I see. His Excellency the Duke has aged, and his
forgetfulness has become severe... is that it? Then, at a later date, we shall
meet again in some land. Even if it is only as a silent head, it cannot be
helped."
"Hoh? Sir Messenger, are you entrusted not only with
delivering a message but also with provoking us to provide a justification for
invasion by offering up your own head? Do you truly intend to scatter such a
young life to the winds so wastefully?"
"I-I-I have conveyed our message! W-We shall take our
leave now. Do not regret this later."
Saying this finally, the messenger from the Fearalt
Principality hurriedly left the room.
Around the time Duke Klein was meeting with the
messenger from the Fearalt Principality, soldiers were gathering one
after another in the city of Salaam, using water transport from the Royal Capital, Fairy. Their
numbers were reaching nearly 30,000. Their main camp was set up on the
outskirts of the city, and the area around the city was overflowing with the
armies of each noble assembling there.
Inside the tent where the main camp was established, amidst
luxurious carpets, key figures including the Marquis commanding the
expeditionary force were gathered.
"Fufufu, sending an envoy to demand return while
simultaneously preparing for invasion... they surely never expected that."
"Exactly as the Marquis says. Moreover, they surely
never expected us to allocate a force of 30,000. Preparations for the invasion
will be complete soon. It will be a sight to see the Kingdom's fools surprised
in their unsightly state."
"Count, it is not 30,000. Right, Lord Lugner?
Are your father's preparations complete?"
"Yes. Those who share the same aspirations as you
all—two Marquis families, a Margrave, and nobles under their banners,
responding to my father's call—have a force of roughly 10,000 preparing your
logistics and ready to serve as guides. And how did it go with the Empire
side?"
"Hmm, it seems
the tables have been turned. His Excellency the Prime Minister has already established
ties with the Empire through the spy you arranged. Though we paid a certain
price."
Yes, Lugner had taken measures on the Kingdom's
Southern Front, which he was most concerned about, to ensure the best possible
outcome for this invasion. One never knows what that man will do. The
miscalculations in his schemes so far have all stemmed from that man—no, those
brothers.
"Impressive as expected. An encirclement network
totaling 130,000 soldiers—they will not stand a chance."
"Aye. For that reason, we must reach the Royal Capital first. Before the Empire
or the Imperial Kingdom. After all, we must secure a new 'ornament' to serve as
our symbol."
The gathered lords simply listened to the conversation
between the two. Then, the Count who was speaking
earlier came forward and prostrated himself before the two.
"Marquis, I have a request. Please, give us the
vanguard! I humbly beg of you."
Saying this, a Viscount and a Baron behind the Count also
prostrated themselves. Representing them, the Count continued.
"We three were previously humiliated by that upstart brat. In this battle, we wish to serve
as the vanguard and be granted the opportunity for vindication."
"Hmm... You three as the vanguard, is it...?"
The Marquis hesitated for a moment. They are not seasoned generals.
In the Fearalt Principality, battles such as conflicts with neighboring
countries and rebellions have basically been handled centrally by the Imperial Guard Division. In that sense,
not only those three, but the Marquis himself, the supreme commander, is close
to an amateur. The only seasoned unit in their camp, the Third Imperial Guard Division that betrayed
the King, was left in Fairy along with 30,000 noble soldiers to keep the
King's army in check.
"Then, Count Lesser shall serve as the vanguard.
I shall entrust you with 10,000 soldiers and 300 from the Mage Corps. Let the Kingdom soldiers who know nothing of war
realize the terror of our army."
The 300 from the Mage
Corps alone were a unit specialized in combat, having undergone sufficient
training regularly. There was no doubt their attack magic would sweep away the
enemy army. The Marquis decided to have the Mage Corps accompany them as a form of insurance.
"Yes! Gratefully!"
The three men who raised their faces in delight were those
who had picked a fight with Takuhir at a banquet in Fairy several
years ago and exposed their disgraceful behavior. Burning with a desire for
revenge, they had volunteered for the Kingdom invasion force, and they rejoiced
at being blessed with this opportunity.
"We depart here tomorrow morning and enter the Kyle
Kingdom! Everyone, do not neglect preparations for departure!"
"Ooh!"
Everyone lined up responded with a great shout as if they
had been waiting for this voice. Except for one man who was smirking...
Seeing the massive army gathering on the outskirts, the city
of Salaam was also wrapped in a strange tension. And there were those
who were most deeply shocked by this.
"Hey, Halim! Th-This is... pretty bad, isn't
it?"
"Yeah, I think so too. I never expected them to gather
using the waterway from Fairy..."
"No, that's not it! At this rate, the Kyle Kingdom
is going to lose, isn't it? Is it really okay to stick with that person?"
"I believe in that person. He anticipated this a
long time ago. It's going according to plan, so to speak. Besides, what happens
if we switch sides now? We'd get a bit of reward money and that would be the
end of it. Those guys are colluding with the big merchants; what leftovers
would there be for humble trading merchants like us?"
"That's... true, but."
"Besides, my own feelings say I don't want to do
that—that's the main thing. I started this business because I fell in love with
Yoltia-sama's chivalry. The Demon Territory Count-sama gave us
favorable treatment, and we owe him a great debt. He gave people like us the
chance to dream of a bright future. I'm following Sis and the Demon
Territory Count-sama to the end."
"However... now the road to the border is full of soldiers;
we can't get through, can we? What do we do? We didn't think the soldiers would
surge in this quickly."
"..."
"Hahaha! You guys. talking about interesting things,
aren't you? Let me in on it too."
"!!!"
Halim and the
others froze in surprise. Because there was a man who had entered the Tia
Trading Company's new shop in Salaam without permission and had been
listening to their secret conversation.
"Halim, I think it's a pretty good decision for
you. But be careful. Secret talks should be done in a whisper. Talking that
loudly, everyone around can hear you."
The one who said that with a laugh was the Boss who
controlled both the underworld and the surface of this city. It was normally
unthinkable for him, who rarely went out, to visit Halim's shop alone
without attendants.
"B-Boss, w-why?"
"Well, Halim, call it my intuition. The basics
of business are buying things likely to rise in value when you can buy them
cheap, and selling them when they get high, right? I'll accompany you this
time. There are plenty of guys at both borders whom I bribe regularly. If I
slip them some gold coins saying it's urgent business, we should still be able
to pass now. The condition is, introduce me to the Demon Territory Count!
Just that."
"Boss, are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm taking a gamble this time too. I think it's
a perfect opportunity to get big all at once."
"Understood. I'll guide you. We'll borrow your strength
for the border arrangements."
"Right, right. Those remaining in Salaam should
prepare to buy up food and scavenging corpses. Well, I've already arranged that
on my end, though."
At this time, Halim and the others did not yet
understand the meaning of the Boss's words. Hurriedly selecting personnel, Halim
himself mounted a horse, organized a small platoon disguised as a trade
caravan, and departed the city of Salaam.
Then, in the evening, thanks to the Boss's arrangements,
they passed through the border without incident and raced through the Kyle
Kingdom.
And the next day, the Kyle Kingdom invasion force, a
massive army totaling 30,000, slowly passed through the border gate. The gate
on the Kyle Kingdom side, which should originally have been intercepting
them, just remained wide open with no resistance whatsoever.
Thus, the second phase of the final battle in which history
lured the Kyle Kingdom toward destruction—the battle of the Western
Front—began. On the Kyle Kingdom side, aside from those aligned with the
enemy country, no one yet knew of the invasion.
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