Chapter 473
(Kyle Calendar Year 516:
Age 23)
Strange Bedfellows
After Lugner and the others left, the First
Prince and the King were secretly meeting in the royal palace of the
Republic of Laconia. Lately, they often had disputes due to differences
in opinion, so even though they were father and son, it had been a long time
since the two of them met alone.
「And so?
Did those wretches tell us to become their pet dogs?」
The King who asked this was evaluated as
a moderate by foreign nations, and criticized by some domestic factions as a 『coward
who curried favor with the Kingdom of Cain while avoiding war with the Empire』.
However, in reality, his elderly body showed not the slightest sign of decline,
and he was a robust man with an overwhelming aura of supremacy radiating from
his entire body.
「It is
exactly as you say. However, they are overlooking something important. Even if
dogs and wolves look similar in appearance, you cannot tame a wolf. A starving
wolf will tear off even the hand offered to it, as the saying goes. Those who
mistakenly underestimated us will receive fitting retribution.」
「Fufufu,
very well. So, what do you intend to do?」
At this question from the King, the First
Prince smiled fearlessly.
「We also
desire strong enemies, after all. We will pretend to take their bait, and
observe the situation for the time being.」
「Bite at
any given opening, is that it?」
「However,
in the end, we and they are strange bedfellows. The only one I have my sights
set on is the Demon Territory Dukedom standing behind the three nations.
From here on out, depending on the opponent's movements...」
「Hahaha,
your partiality towards the Demon Territory Dukedom is quite something,
as always.」
Indeed, it was entirely the brainchild of this First
Prince that the Republic of Laconia introduced crossbows and pushed
forward with mass production, as well as advancing familiarization training for
all citizens. Through his own unique routes, he had been keeping a close eye on
the Demon Territory Dukedom—no, on Takuhir, since even before he
became the Demon Territory Count—investigating everything in minute
detail, from his governance to his martial valor on the battlefield.
「In our
country, those who cannot fight have no value. However, in that country, they
have militarized the weak, who would be considered valueless in our country,
overturned overwhelmingly disadvantageous situations, and piled up numerous
great victories. If this isn't exhilarating, what is?」
These words were an act of self-negation,
rejecting not only the way his homeland had been up until now, but even
himself. However, he was neither one to be overly confident in his own power
alone, nor was he narrow-minded enough to be unable to accept the changing of
the times.
A child of a frontier barony, and only a second
son at that, had adopted methods nonexistent in this world into domestic
affairs and military matters, splendidly demonstrated them in actual combat,
rapidly raised his peerage in the blink of an eye, and ultimately rose to the
position of King. Even after becoming the King of a small nation,
he expanded his territory through battles, and now his skill in bringing his
country to the level of a powerful nation standing shoulder-to-shoulder with
major powers left him unable to suppress his admiration.
「Such is
your opponent. I imagine you wish to fight him?」
「Of
course! The King himself declared, 『I shall always stand at
the forefront in battle』, and he is a man of valor who puts that into
practice. He seems to hide his sharp claws during peacetime, but on the
battlefield, he displays extraordinary martial prowess. If possible, I wish to
cross swords with him by any means.」
However, this was a massive misunderstanding.
It was true that Takuhir publicly declared, 『As King, I shall
always stand on the front lines』, and he did not hesitate to add, 『Those
who cannot do so are disqualified from inheriting the throne!』 In
reality, he stood in the front row in every battle, and tales of him charging
alone into formidable enemies and achieving military exploits in his first
battle at the tender age of thirteen were passed down as if they were true.
These tales had grown tails and fins without
his intention, and in the surrounding nations, the evaluation of Takuhir's
personal martial valor had been vastly inflated beyond its actual extent. If he
were to hear them himself, he would likely give a strained smile with his face
twitching grandly...
「Fufufu,
do as you please. The Empire, the Demon Territory Dukedom, and
not just the principality, but even the nation that unified the three countries
all have young Kings standing at their helms. From now on, it is the era
for you all. Shall I yield the throne to you and conceal myself now?」
「Hahaha, Father
is quite the crafty one. You intend to disguise yourself and spectate from the
very best seats, do you not?」
「What are
you talking about? The weak are struck down by the strong, and their positions
are swapped. This holds true even for a King, and is it not the custom
of this country?」
Yes, the thorough meritocracy of the Republic
of Laconia, such as 『Power is everything』 and 『The strong are the
righteous』, applied to the King as well. Because of this, the King
could not refuse a challenge from someone aspiring to be the next King,
and even if the King were to die in that battle, the challenger would
not be held criminally responsible; it was accepted as a matter of course.
Therefore, the one who assumed the throne as
the King of the Republic of Laconia was always the person
recognized by themselves and others as the strongest in the nation. Above all,
this father and son had already crossed swords many times and their actual
strength was nearly equal, but one (King) had passed his prime and was
on the decline, while the other (Prince) possessed elements that would
allow him to grow even further from here on.
「So, when
will you begin?」
「First,
as they expect, I plan to shake up the Kingdom of Lute-Ville-Cain and
observe the reaction of the Archduke standing behind them. All
preparations will take another half a year...」
「I see,
so the crossbows, which have already been introduced and entered mass
production on a national scale, will be distributed to the standing army of
40,000 in half a year?」
「Yes. To
begin with, the crossbows given to the standing army are strong bows that
cannot be handled by ordinary people; I believe we can close the gap in range.
There, numbers will speak. Even if we fall behind in siege warfare, in field
battles...」
「Wahahaha,
even that Archduke you are so obsessed with probably does not know the
terror of a volley from 40,000 troops. If we can close in within range under
the umbrella of great shields... Then I shall conceal myself and eagerly await
the arrival of that day.」
Leaving those words behind, the King of
the Republic of Laconia vanished from the royal palace without a trace
that very day.
◇◇◇
Shortly thereafter, a notification was sent to
various countries that the former King of the Republic of Laconia
had abdicated, and a new King had ascended the throne. Simultaneously,
the Republic of Laconia announced its policy for the massive increase in
crossbow production, a project they had been working on for some time, and
shifted into a nationwide system for manufacturing the new weapons and
familiarizing all citizens with them.
However, because the former King
vanished without a trace prior to the ascension of the new King, there
were rumors of regicide surrounding Areus, who had newly taken the
throne. Lugner accepted those rumors with high spirits, but it is said
that the young head of the Norden House, who brought that information,
wore a subtle expression, perhaps harboring different thoughts.
And then... a demand for the return of the
territory of the former Kingdom of Cain, along with a petition from the
domain residents, was delivered from the new King of the Republic of
Laconia to Great General Golpa, who was holding the fort in the
absence of the King and Queen.
The subsequent developments were as previously
told: the Griffonia Empire Army, the Demon Territory Dukedom Army,
and the Kingdom of Lute-Ville-Cain Army concentrated their forces at the
border as if timing it together. Their numbers... a total of 23,000!
Furthermore, after the Demon Territory
Dukedom Army sent reinforcements, bringing the total to 25,000, the allied
forces gathered at the southeastern edge of the Demon Territory Dukedom's
territory and began to take a combat-ready stance.
「Hahaha,
as expected of the allied forces led by the Archduke. To think they
would mobilize this many troops as a rapid response force... With this, there
is absolutely no opening to exploit!」
Receiving this report, the new King Areus
is said to have laughed heartily for some reason, in contrast to his words at
the time. And after laughing for a while, his expression changed, and a
fearless smile floated upon his lips.
「However...
I wonder how long this formation will last? They say still water stagnates and
rots. We simply need to wait patiently for the water to rot. From here on out,
the passage of time will also work in our favor, after all.」
Here, the land where the four nations shared borders entered a state of tension, with combat-ready armies glaring at each other. While both friend and foe harbored differing speculations about the future...
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