Wortenia Senki (LN) - Volume 25 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Gloomy Storm

At around 10 p.m., Ecclesia Marinelle read reports received from various regions across the land inside the palace of Endesia in Myest. The wrinkle in her brow showed the reports had brought less than good news.

While the reports were unfavorable, and she would have done better not knowing them, she had to be aware of the news. Next to her desk was a food cart with untouched ham, cheese, and various other light foods. A lone cup of tea had long gone cold. The maid in charge, who often looked after Ecclesia when working in the capital, had prepared the food because her master didn’t have much time to eat. Sadly, the maid’s effort was for naught as the food would end up being thrown out.

Ecclesia had zero intention of eating any food as she had no time to spare whatsoever. She was one of the three generals in the Kingdom of Myest, and as a military leader for the kingdom, she had no time to relax.

In addition to her usual work, she was busy sending an expeditionary force to the Kingdom of Xarooda as well as dealing with the invasion of both Brittantia and Tarja on Myest’s southern fortress city, Jermuk. As the sole person behind the country’s success or failure, she couldn’t afford to spend her time frivolously.

It would be a lot easier if those two could help me... thought Ecclesia foolishly. Such a thought was impossible, though. The two people she referred to were the other generals in the Kingdom of Myest.

One of them was Cassandra Hellner, the famous female admiral of the navy in Myest. The other was Alexis Duran, a veteran warrior and the strongest within the Kingdom of Myest. Both were exceptionally skilled generals on an equal footing with Ecclesia. However, they had left the capital due to certain circumstances, so Ecclesia couldn’t ask for them to assist her.

Cassandra Hellner was a fiery, renowned, and skilled general with a keen eye for strategy coupled with extensive combat experience. But her main stage for war was the ocean, and she rarely ever moved from Pherzaad, a port city in Myest that was their main trading hub.

If the Kingdom of Brittantia had challenged Myest with a naval battle, Cassandra would utilize her fleet and join the battle. The Kingdom of Myest boasted one of the largest navies in the western continent—something Brittantia and Tarja were well aware of—so it was hard to imagine they would bring the war to the ocean As long as the war remained confined to Jermuk, Cassandra had no reason to prioritize it.

It would be far more effective for Cassandra to focus on gathering provisions and supplies in Pherzaad, in the northern part of the kingdom, than to battle in an area outside her expertise. In the case of Alexis Duran, his reason was more apparent. He was a general who had amassed several achievements in battle against the Kingdom of Brittantia as one of the oldest men in the Kingdom of Myest’s army.

Alexis declined to participate in the war because he was recovering from an injury. He was cooped up inside an estate in the royal capital, Endesia. Yet he hadn’t passed on his position to his heir, his son. Nonetheless, Alexis was still the de facto master of the Duran barony, though he had officially retired from the position.

It was unclear if Alexis was really in rehabilitation. After all, he had denied all visits. King Phillip had sent a court physician to visit him, but Alexis had refused to see them, so nobody knew about his condition. If there were any way to find out, it would probably be through the servants at the Duran estate. Still, they had remained silent. Regardless of the truth of Alexis Duran’s condition, one could argue that he was unfit to perform his duties as a general.

During this emergency crisis, only one person had an extensive history in strategy and could command the army: Ecclesia Marinelle.

Of course, there may be some unknown talented strategists among my subordinates. But I don’t have time to look for such people.

Essentially, the Kingdom of Myest was one of the three countries on the eastern part of the western continent. It held tremendous financial power due to its maritime trading and had more than enough talented people. In addition to Ecclesia and the other two generals, many other talented strategists could lead soldiers. But few people could formulate strategies for the country as well as lead and command generals.

A major issue was that competence alone didn’t make them eligible.

Even if they have the ability, it’ll all be for naught if those around them don’t approve. No matter how wonderful their strategy is, the lack of followers will be as good as drawing a castle in the sky. They’d just end up like Meltina Lecter, who was dragged into being a strategist by Her Majesty Lupis. Those around her rejected her ideas, and in turn, she accomplished nothing.

Ecclesia might find a promising candidate, but they would need time to prove themselves before anything else. If she ignored that and just pushed ahead with what she wanted, it would end up in pure self-destruction for all those involved. She knew this and had to do something about it, even if it meant working herself down to the bone. However, both her mental and physical condition were reaching their limit, crying out for repose.

“Phew... I guess the exhaustion is getting to me...” commented Ecclesia, sighing deeply. Even my eyes are blurry.

This made it difficult for her to determine what was on the documents. Undoubtedly, it resulted from her working on them for so long. Her eyelids twitched as her eyes became even more blurry. She tried blinking a few times, but it did nothing to clear her vision.

Thus, Ecclesia gave in and set the documents on the table. She lightly massaged her eyes with her hands. But this superficial attempt to rest her eyes was futile, doing nothing to ease her exhaustion. After all, it wasn’t as if she had spent only one day doing this.

This is to be expected. I have done nothing but shut myself away in this room and read documents. I’ll have to suck it up and take a rest. 

She didn’t want to waste a single moment. But there was no way she could continue her work in this condition. So, she lifted herself from her chair as she let out a huge yawn. As she stood up, the cracking of her joints reverberated around the room. She moved her neck, causing the same sound to ring again.

It feels good to finally move around after sitting for so long.

Joints didn’t always crack as a result of exhaustion, though it did feel good when they did. Deciding to stretch her legs some, Ecclesia gazed at the scenery outside of the window.

Oh, but we’re not having great weather tonight. A gloomy cloud is blocking the moon... Will it rain?

The night sky hid behind oppressive clouds, as if poetically representing the Kingdom of Myest’s situation. Anyone else would have felt as gloomy as Ecclesia had they read all the reports from across the kingdom.

Then, the quiet sound of a cat’s purr filled the room. Ecclesia looked around the room and soon realized it was the sound of her stomach. Relieved, she let out a sigh.

How improper, having my stomach growl... I’m glad I’m alone. 

As a person, having one’s stomach growl when hungry was normal. But Ecclesia had to keep up appearances as a general and a noble. She was still an unmarried young lady, after all. It would have been inexcusable if her stomach had growled in front of someone. Although it was a natural physiological phenomenon, humans could not withstand hunger once they became conscious of it.

Ecclesia headed toward the food wagon and poured herself a cup of tea. The tea is freezing cold... The aroma has all but gone, yet it’s still delicious.

But the tea would have been more delicious while hot. No one had used verbal thaumaturgy to cool it, so that process had happened naturally after it sat out a long time. Normally, no one of a noble rank would have drunk it. It was to be expected that Ecclesia would have asked for the preparation of a fresh pot. All she had to do was ring the bell to call the maid.

Instead, Ecclesia found the tea somewhat sweet. The flavor was usually rather tart when warm. She felt the tea hydrate her whole body, then nibbled a piece of cheese on a plate. Her first bite was so small that it resembled that of a mouse. She then took several bites, devouring the cheese as it filled the empty void in her stomach.

She tore the stale bread into two halves, ripped off a piece, and put it in her mouth alongside some cheese. Then she used her fork to stab a few slices of ham, snatching them off the plate. It was an incredibly impolite way for a noble to eat, but there was also profound meaning to how she ate.

Ecclesia wasn’t just a noble lady but a warrior who had walked the battlefield and crawled through it covered in mud. She had eaten soup made from low-quality, waste vegetables with her fellow soldiers to prevent starvation. When not in the company of others, she could relax a little and eat in such a manner.

After a few minutes, she finished eating almost everything that was on the plates. She poured herself another cup of tea and gulped it down in one go, then sighed loudly and rubbed her stomach.

“That calmed my stomach some... Honestly, I could have done with a little more to eat.”

The bread and cheese weren’t bad, but Ecclesia had worked all day without lunch. She wanted to fill her cheeks with mountains of thick meat. However, she had eaten enough, and sat back again, reaching for the documents she had dumped on the table earlier. She hesitated a little as she reached out, almost as if she had remembered what the documents contained—none of which was good news. Yet she continued to check their contents.

Around two hours had passed. Before Ecclesia knew it, the stack of papers had all but disappeared, declaring that her grueling bout of paperwork was finally over. A deep sigh escaped Ecclesia’s mouth as she finished reading a letter that had been firmly sealed. Her sigh was a clear sign of relief that she had finally finished.

Or is it a sigh of grief at what I just read?

Not even Ecclesia knew what it was; perhaps it was both. But that didn’t mean that she had finished for the day. If anything, her real work was about to start.

His Grace Ryoma Mikoshiba will arrive here with forty thousand men in just a few days.

However, it wouldn’t be the knights of Rhoadseria but elite soldiers of the Mikoshiba Grand Duchy. They would change the tide of war dramatically.

I received word that they left the royal capital of Rhoadseria around ten days ago. But they’ll arrive in Endesia sooner than I thought, so they must have rushed when marching here, mused Ecclesia. The report was a happy one, though it also appeared dreadful. I really wanted all of this to be resolved before they arrived.

She bit her thumbnail in annoyance, a bad habit she slipped into when she felt irritated. It was not appropriate for a young noble lady. Her mother and wet nurse had been trying to fix that habit of hers since childhood. As a result, she had mostly trained herself to stop, but whenever she became irritated, her old habit would raise its ugly head again.

Ecclesia was justified in feeling irritated as organizing the reinforcements headed to Jermuk had taken longer than expected. Since the delay was due to a dispute over leadership in the Kingdom of Myest, she found it even more challenging to remain calm about the situation. In fact, she had already failed to do so.

Now it was just a matter of deciding what to do about it.

She slapped her cheeks in an attempt to perk herself up before giving in to her defeatist thoughts. Three days later, just outside the northern gate to Endesia, an army appeared, bearing a flag with a double-headed snake curled around a sword adorned with silver and golden scales. 

It was early in the afternoon.

A dark cloud hung in the sky, almost as if it resembled the future of the Kingdom of Myest. Under such weather conditions, Ryoma welcomed a beautiful guest in a tent he had set up in the outskirts of Endesia.

“Long time no see, Lady Ecclesia. Well, I did meet with you just a few months before, so I’m not sure if ‘long time no see’ is the right phrase here.”

For a modern Japanese person, this way of greeting someone one hadn’t seen in a few months was fairly normal. On Earth, it was rather common to go months, or even years, without meeting someone. The means of transport on Earth were limited to walking, horse carriages, or boats. Even if it had been a few months, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that one had seen them only the other day.

Ecclesia bowed politely in response to Ryoma’s greeting. It was a courteous greeting suited for the man who had risen to one of the highest ranks, besides monarch, in the Kingdom of Rhoadseria.

“Welcome to the Kingdom of Myest. Thank you for traveling such a long way,” responded Ecclesia.

Ryoma raised his right hand, gesturing to a chair prepared earlier for Ecclesia to sit on.

“I never thought the next time I would see you, Your Excellency, would have been on the battlefield against the southern kingdoms,” she continued as she sat. Her expectations would have been correct. Ryoma never imagined he would set foot in Myest due to the current circumstances either.

“Agreed, I didn’t imagine that I would meet with you so soon, nor did I see myself marching here to the Kingdom of Myest. That is especially true when considering the situation in Xarooda, with the O’ltormean invasion,” said Ryoma.

Ecclesia gave a wry smile in response. Ryoma wasn’t being sarcastic; he had some reservations regarding the situation.

“I thought the same... While I’m aware we can’t predict the future, I never expected this.”

The two of them smiled at one another. In reality, none other than the gods could predict everything. A person’s response to such an unexpected situation was a true test of their ability and value.

“I read your letter regarding the matter, so I have an idea of what is going on,” remarked Ryoma.

“The situation’s more or less the same as I wrote,” added Ecclesia, opening a map of Jermuk on top of the table. She then began a reenactment using the map, reviewing her current information.

“So, this is the state of the war. As I thought, it doesn’t look good,” said Ryoma, scowling. Two chess pieces resembling the soldier units around Jermuk lay on the map. One chess piece represented ten thousand soldiers, so around twenty thousand soldiers held the castle in the fortress city.

On the other hand, six black chess pieces represented the enemy forces.

The enemy force is around sixty thousand men strong. Even though Jermuk’s soldiers are holed up in the castle, that is still a remarkable difference in number, thought Ryoma.

It was as the saying went; there was strength in numbers.

However, this cannot be solved like a mathematical equation.

There were too many variables, so it was impossible to take all of them into account. Ryoma’s forces were at a major disadvantage, but that didn’t mean it was all bad news.

One good thing is that Jermuk is still in good condition. 

It seemed they had been able to avoid Ryoma’s most feared outcome. Nevertheless, Ecclesia’s assumption was the sole basis for that conclusion. It was uncertain if that was actually the case. Even without confirmation, Ryoma concluded it was a highly accurate report.

About a month and a half passed since the allied kingdoms of Brittantia and Tarja had begun their attack on the fortress city of Jermuk, with around sixty thousand men. Still, there had been no word that Jermuk had fallen yet.

If they are under siege, their means of communication may be limited. It would have been a different story if they had prepared fuel for signal fires ahead of time.

The soldiers within the castle had been sending out regular reports up until Jermuk was besieged. No clear information had come through since then. Their enemies surrounded them, making it difficult for the forces within Jermuk to provide more information.

Considering that the enemy’s siege was still going strong, there was a high chance that Jermuk had not yet fallen.

Another possibility is that any communication was locked down and Jermuk has already fallen. If I were the enemy general looking for a quick conclusion to the battle, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to lure the reinforcements to Jermuk and take the battle to open fields. 

Based on what Ryoma had heard from Ecclesia, that would be one of the worst outcomes, although he knew that the probability of that was low. No matter how skilled the southern kingdoms’ commanders were, there was no way they would be able to keep the fall of Jermuk entirely a secret.

If I were in a similar situation and I ordered the Igasaki clan to prevent any information from leaking, it would only delay the information’s release by a couple of days.

Even if the enemy forces could silence Jermuk, it would be impossible for them to do the same with everyone in the city’s vicinity, such as villagers and residents of nearby towns. They would have begun to flee toward Endesia to avoid getting caught up in the war.

Although we’re already in the middle of a war, there is no way I would miss such a sign. 

Ecclesia’s spies had confirmed there had been no unusual movements, and that the enemy forces were continuing to hold the siege.

“Well, it’s better than the worst-case scenario I imagined. If this information is correct, that is.”

Guessing the meaning behind Ryoma’s words, Ecclesia nodded deeply.

“If the fortress city Jermuk falls, I expect the enemy will sweep through the country like an avalanche. It’s just that much of a key location for the southern area of the kingdom,” said Ecclesia.

If it came to that, Ecclesia would have a mountain of documents several times bigger than the last one she worked through. Since that hadn’t happened, it was safe to assume that the siege of Jermuk was ongoing.

“I see... You’re quite right,” acknowledged Ryoma.

Even then, it was hard for them to relax.

“The neighboring villages have been looted, and the areas surrounding Jermuk have been ravaged... It’s been quite the headache for the Kingdom of Myest.”

There were thirteen villages and six towns dotted around Jermuk. Most of them had already been looted and raided by the enemy army, apart from four villages and two towns. The invaders had killed all the men and had abducted all the women and children. The buildings were then razed to the ground, leaving nothing but dark piles of ashes.

This only came to light when those lucky enough to escape had found refuge within Jermuk.

“I’m aware we’re at war, but it’s so painful. The royal court has begun securing funds for postwar reconstruction.”

“Well, you must prepare to restore the region after the war. However, all that preparation will mean nothing if we fail to protect Jermuk. The soldiers from the southern countries seem to be a rough bunch, no doubt a result of those countries being rather impoverished,” declared Ryoma, to which Ecclesia nodded.

Attacking an enemy country’s villages and towns was one of the standard tactics in war. Ransacking villages that played an essential part in a country’s agriculture was a surefire way to attack their means of income. This tactic was similar to one prevalent during the Warring States period in Japan, known as randori or ranbodori. Though, it wasn’t necessarily unique to Japan.

Every part of Ryoma’s world had participated in looting during a war. Even in ancient Greece, which practiced democracy, slaves were still kept. And looting during war hadn’t been entirely eradicated even in the twenty-first century. That strategy weakened the enemy and kept one’s soldiers’ morale high.

Naturally, looting wasn’t unusual on Earth, where modes of communication were limited, and there were no such concepts as human rights.

Looting also had a lot of benefits for soldiers.

Those benefits included the soldier making income from capturing civilians from the enemy country and selling them to slave traders. They could line their pockets with gold from breaking into houses and picking out goods to sell or even finding stashes of money.

Soldiers abducting good-looking young women and having their way with them often went overlooked too. Knights and soldiers who explicitly worked for the kingdom would receive some form of pay, but the same couldn’t be said of conscripted soldiers.

We pay all our soldiers a monthly wage.

It was safe to say that paying the soldiers a monthly wage was a rather unusual phenomenon on Earth. During wars, conscripted soldiers never received compensation in wages. Their superiors provided food and equipment, but it was safe to think of conscription as a form of forced labor.

It might not be accurate to say they receive no compensation. They might get cash rewards from their commanders or regional lords if they perform well and win many battles.

Even taking that into account, conscription was an arduous task that required a lot from the soldiers.

Soldiers often have many justified complaints, which affect their morale. In some cases, they might even lay down their weapons and escape to the enemy side. In worse cases, they could revolt.

No one liked doing something that wasn’t in their best interest. If they had to risk their lives and fight, there was not much point in making them do so by force. Eventually, they might display hostility and hatred toward their superiors. But both the commanders and regional lords knew that. As a result, they would allow soldiers to loot the enemy country’s settlements to suppress complaints.

Some would appear to be apprehensive about looting. But if it was an order, the soldiers had no right to deny it.

Not many people want to do such a thing to fellow civilians. Plus, if it’s an order, it makes them somewhat immune to guilt over what they’re actually doing. 

Once men began to lose control over their consciences, only one destination was left. As the saying went, bad money drives out good.

The soldiers were able to forget about their grim reality for a while, and line their pockets while doing so. They chose to turn a blind eye to what they were doing, even if it harms their consciences in the process.

Ryoma didn’t endorse such acts, especially when one hoped to rule that territory afterward.

I wouldn’t endorse it, but that doesn’t mean I would rule it out as an option if the situation called for it.

Depending on the situation, sometimes the bad move ended up being the best move.

Most commanders wouldn’t give the matter that much thought. They usually allowed soldiers to do such heinous things to boost their morale. Those in the ruling classes on Earth thought that since they didn’t pay their soldiers with money, it was better to allow them to pillage instead.

The nobles had nothing to lose since it was someone else’s property. Neither soldiers nor politicians had reason to take the initiative and stop it. That was especially true of the southern countries of Brittantia and Tarja, the latter known for being quite skilled in battle.

But that was due to having exceptionally proficient soldiers, which in turn was due to the poverty prevalent within the southern kingdoms.

To those living in the southern kingdoms, looting other countries wasn’t just a tactic or a war strategy. Instead, it was a means of survival. The situation resembled that of Shingen Takeda, the ruler of the Takeda clan, known as one of the strongest warriors in the Warring States period.

“It’s just like the Takeda clan,” Ryoma murmured thoughtlessly.

That was an off-the-cuff remark, although it seemed Ecclesia had overheard.

“Takeda clan? Is that a noble house from the Kingdom of Rhoadseria?” Ecclesia looked confused as she quizzed Ryoma on the name.

Ryoma smiled as he shook his head in response to Ecclesia’s question.

“It’s the name of what was said to be the strongest clan back in my birth country. The Takeda clan ruled a part of Japan that was known as the Kai region.”

In modern times, the region was known as Yamaguchi and famous for its grapes and koushuu wine. However, Kai’s mountainous terrain made it unsuitable for other forms of agriculture.

Kai was also famous for having a gold mine, which the Takeda clan then used to produce their fortunes. They could have used it to buy food.

During the Warring States period in the fifteenth century, strange weather had resulted in a mini ice age, which made it difficult to cultivate crops because of the freezing temperatures. Basically, Japan had been close to a famine during that time.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how much money you have if there’s nothing for sale.

The Takeda clan even went on expeditions outside their home region in order to find food to survive.

Adapting to these harsh conditions gave the Takeda strength to triumph in countless wars, which earned them the title of the strongest clan during the Warring States period. One couldn’t deny that continuously invading other countries and looting them didn’t play a major part in their soldiers’ training. Every soldier had ample real-world experience.

The southern kingdoms were in a similar situation. Ryoma thought they were in a dire situation even compared to the Takeda clan. After all, the southern kingdoms’ land was in no way massive.

It’s less that the two kingdom’s territory isn’t that large, and more that Brittantia and Tarja barely make up a tenth of the land that the O’ltormea Empire and the other kingdoms govern.

But with the realms that made up the southern kingdoms divided into several parts, and were all ruled by their kings, that changed a lot. They also needed fields appropriate for agriculture, most of which would then need proper irrigation. The forests ran amok with monsters too.

Moreover, the Kingdom of Tarja specifically had a lot of forests and few fields. While they could clear out the forests and cultivate new land, the terrain was rather uneven, making it difficult to find good prospective farmland.

Not to mention, they don’t seem to have much in the way of special exports.

The southern kingdoms weren’t home to many fertile regions like the Kingdom of Rhoadseria, nor did they benefit from foreign trade like the Kingdom of Myest, nor were they blessed with mines like the Kingdom of Xarooda. Their limited land, with few natural resources, made it difficult for them to accumulate national power. That said, they could have used their vast forests and focused on forestry, or even fishing.

Considering that almost all the southern kingdoms had equally vast forests, any one country would face stiff competition from the others, making it difficult for a country to rely on forestry as their sole industry.

The southern kingdoms would have nowhere to sell their wood, after all. At the very least, they couldn’t sell to other kingdoms in the south. It made no sense for the other countries to import goods they could cultivate themselves. The southern kingdoms wouldn’t make much profit if they sold timber that wasn’t in high demand.

Supply and demand ruled the market. For the southern kingdoms’ natural resources to be profitable, they had to send them to their continent’s western region. Still, that wouldn’t leave many countries to which they could sell.

If they had boats that they could use to transport their goods to different countries, it would be another story. But they wouldn’t be able to sell it for a high enough price to make it worthwhile.

That would leave the three countries in the east and the O’ltormea Empire in the center. They could consider the Holy Qwiltantia Empire in the west, but I doubt their lumber would sell there. 

Both the O’ltormea Empire and the Holy Qwiltantia Empire were powerful nations that ruled vast territories. They also had large forests dotted around their regions, meaning they could harvest them when needed. So they did not import lumber from different countries purposely.

The same could be said for the other countries in the east, starting with the Kingdom of Myest. As a result, the southern kingdoms had no main industries from which they could profit.

“If we looked at the southern kingdoms based on their economic power, they’d be around a fraction of our own,” said Ryoma. That didn’t mean every country that made up the southern kingdoms.

Even when examining the entire southern part of the western continent, it was no match to the Kingdom of Myest with its maritime trading with other continents.

Simply put, a country’s strength is decided by its population, the size of its land, and its financial power... A country’s national power is usually proportionate to their military power too.

The rich are strong, and the poor are weak.

“How the poor suffer,” he continued, displaying various emotions in his words.

Even Ryoma might have withered away to nothing in the Wortenia Peninsula if he had made one wrong move. When thinking of it that way, it was surprising that the countries belonging to the south still maintained their independence. In a way, it was no longer a simple miracle. It was simply strange.

In reality, it was exactly what the countries within the western continent wanted. The southern kingdoms had no industry or fertile lands, but that only applied for now.

Hypothetically, having a military capable of wiping out all the monsters who dwelled in the forests and clearing the land to allow for cultivation would make the situation different. It wouldn’t be entirely impossible if they had such power to spare.

Because the O’ltormea Empire owned the central, landlocked region of the continent, its people often had to travel through other countries to participate in foreign trade. If they occupied one of the southern kingdoms, they could use it as a stepping stone to revitalize the region with trade. That was always an option they could choose.

The national strength of the O’ltormea Empire would grow if they had access to maritime trading.

Such a fact was self-evident to the rulers of the three major kingdoms who wished to rule the entire continent. Should the O’ltormea Empire and the Holy Qwiltantia Empire attempt to conquer one of the southern kingdoms, other countries would definitely butt their noses in.

When the O’ltormea Empire tried to invade one of the southern kingdoms several years ago, the Holy Empire of Qwiltantia and the Kingdom of Helnesgoula mobilized their troops along their borders.

Thus, the O’ltormea Empire soon retreated once they realized they could not conquer the southern kingdom in a short amount of time. It was an example of other countries trying to maintain balance on the continent.

Although, it was confirmed that the southern kingdoms hadn’t maintained their independence because of that alone.

There’s no mistaking that the soldiers of the southern kingdom are all incredibly strong. However, it would be difficult for them to stave off pressure from other countries and protect their borders with just the might of their soldiers.

Given the difference in strength between the southern kingdoms, the O’ltormea Empire, and the Holy Qwiltantia Empire, it wouldn’t have been surprising if they had already annexed them.

The countries in the southern part of the continent had maintained their independence for so long because of the people living within the dense forests. However, it was questionable if they were considered residents of the southern kingdoms.

They don’t belong to a country, pay taxes to the country, provide conscripts for the military, or work as laborers... So, it is hard to say if they really do belong to one of the southern kingdoms. I guess they could be considered barbarians. Or maybe they are from a lower caste, much like the five lower castes in Japanese history.

For one, they lived in unique villages within the forests and were hunter-gatherers, surviving on animals and monsters. The southern kingdoms weren’t so naive as to ignore their existence, but they refused to be ruled, fending off other countries with their combat skills gained from hunting monsters. They were especially talented warriors.

Besides that, the people in the southern part of the continent lived in various places across the region and had solid lateral connections. It seemed they hadn’t formed their own country, and the southern kingdoms looked upon them lightly as a tribe. In some essence, they ruled the southern kingdoms.

While others just hated them, the leaders of the southern kingdoms hated them but heavily relied on them.

It was easy to assume that when the O’ltormea Empire and the Holy Qwiltantia Empire tried to invade, the higher-ups of the southern kingdoms hired the tribes as mercenaries. The relationship between the tribesmen and the kingdoms was fluid, which was difficult for those from other countries to grasp.

When Alexis Duran tried to invade the Kingdom of Brittantia, the tribesmen fought back, causing severe damage. Ultimately, Alexis and his forces were driven out and made to retreat. It was a blessing that the tribesmen never wanted to leave their own forests.

I wonder if it’s because they recognize their sphere of influence. Or is there another reason they never choose to leave? Though, I did hear about the one time they did leave...

That said, there were never any times when they joined in wars outside of their territories. There was no better news for southern kingdom residents in invasion-prone areas. Ryoma didn’t have much time to search for an answer to such an unimportant question.

He had only one matter to deal with: preventing the fall of the fortress city Jermuk. But his following question was important.

“So, have the reinforcements already left for Jermuk?”

Ecclesia’s expression stiffened, then she slowly shook her head.

Ryoma grasped the situation from that alone. He crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling, closing his eyes.

Damn. Just as was written in the letter. I already knew about this, but...

His response was rather relaxed, considering the country was at war. After all, twenty thousand men were confined to the castle in Jermuk, which made them believe that the Kingdom of Myest would send reinforcements to their aid.

Normally, it wouldn’t have been strange for the Jermuk soldiers to surrender to the enemy, given that the reinforcements were taking so long to arrive. But they had not surrendered, because they knew that if they did, the enemy forces would raze every village on the way to the royal capital of Endesia, leaving nothing but ashes in their wake.

Jermuk should have received reinforcements immediately. Any resources on war or textbooks about wartime strategy would explain the significance of a rear guard.

There was no way that a woman like Ecclesia wouldn’t be aware of it.

What timing, and exactly when there’s discord between the north and south. The great woman known as the Whirlwind isn’t all that well-versed in strategy.

Ryoma didn’t want to blame all of Myest’s situation on Ecclesia. Yet his train of thought couldn’t help but head toward that direction. The main problem mainly lay in the history of the Kingdom of Myest.

It was also the result of a plot hatched by Ryoma Mikoshiba, meaning he was also behind this situation. The situation would worsen because of the current issues brewing within the Kingdom of Myest.

I have to address the nobles’ frustrations in the Kingdom of Myest.

The Kingdom of Myest was a long and narrow country separated into northern and southern regions, with the current rift stemming from financial disparities between both sides. The north and east sides of the country had access to the ocean, so they could benefit from maritime trade and extra defense. For the country with one of the strongest navies, those areas rarely had to worry about being attacked.

Since they had such a strong command of the sea, they did not fear an attack from enemies, which was an entirely correct attitude for them to have. Due to its ironfisted control of the seas, the country could boast one of the most financially successful marketplaces on the western continent.

The kingdom’s financial blessings were spread throughout the country, making it one of the strongest economic powerhouses in the western continent.

However, that didn’t mean everyone in the Kingdom of Myest enjoyed the financial blessings equally. It was easier to focus most of the fortune on the marketplace of Pherzaad and the surrounding areas.

In modern terms, it was as if Tokyo had become a financial powerhouse and all the other regions were cut off, which could be said was the case already. The rich got richer, and the poor got poorer.

The law of the jungle applied within the financial world too.

Moreover, the nobles who owned land in the western and southern parts of the kingdom were heavily responsible for national defense.

They’re landlocked. The nobles living on those sides must constantly focus on protecting their borders with other nations. They have to build fortresses, repair castle walls, and employ and train soldiers.

Those were the main duties of a noble who owned land, but they were also a large financial burden for them.

Hence, the nobles formed factions—northeast and southwest.

The southwest faction prided itself on its national defense and military specialization. In contrast, the northeast faction focused on its overseas trade and further development of its finances.

But the political balance within the Kingdom of Myest experienced major changes in the past few years. This resulted in the relationship with the Kingdom of Rhoadseria, which was on the western border of the Kingdom of Myest.

In recent years, the two kingdoms hadn’t crossed swords; instead, they often worked together to repel the O’ltormea Empire’s attempts at invasion. The Kingdom of Myest eventually became an ally to the Kingdom of Rhoadseria due to cooperating with Ryoma Mikoshiba’s diplomatic strategies.

As a result, the Kingdom of Myest began to trade more with the Kingdom of Rhoadseria, something the nobles in the west benefited from. It meant everyone in the Kingdom of Myest had become more economically prosperous.

The exception was the southern nobles of Myest who had been at war with the southern kingdoms. That was inevitable from a geographical standpoint, though. As such, the southern nobles weren’t disadvantaged because of political unrest or someone’s ill will.

Although, it was still a brutal truth to swallow.

The embers of unrest within the kingdom had long been smoldering. They had all roared to a flame when Brittantia and Tarja became allies and attacked Jermuk.

What further complicated the problem was that the southern nobles were receiving assistance with military expenses as a reward for protecting the borders.

Those funds came from the northern and eastern nobles, further complicating things. Of course, it was officially assistance from the Kingdom of Myest. But in reality, that money came from taxes paid by the nobles of the northeastern faction to fund the country’s defenses.

That wasn’t a problem in itself. If anything, it was a surefire way to ensure that everything was fair. But that only applied when there wasn’t a war happening.

Once we’re in wartime, it becomes an issue.

In this case, the problem was that they were paying money to those defending the country.

The issue was with the rights and duties of those making the payments. It was fine because the northern and eastern nobles had more financial flexibility and were sending financial support to the south. There, the nobles walked the line of poverty since they had to spend so much to protect the country.

Due to this transfer of funds, a hierarchy began to form between the two groups of nobles.

The northern and eastern nobles probably think they’ve fulfilled their duty by having paid their own money... After all, no one wants to get involved in a war.

From their standpoint, they thought that the south had become their shield, so they sent financial aid during peacetime.

If the Kingdom of Myest had been like the southern kingdoms and could only live off looting and scavenging other countries for food and fortune, the situation wouldn’t have become what it was. But most of those living in the Kingdom of Myest didn’t want to go to war for no reason.

They had several other avenues of living, after all.

Additionally, the fact that Jermuk had yet to fall probably only validated their belief that they didn’t need to do anything more. The northern and eastern nobles saw the war as somebody else’s problem.

That was why they had rejected the idea of sending any reinforcements. While their argument had some logic, it wasn’t entirely groundless. Ryoma had no intention of saying they were in the wrong.

The nobles in the south have been stopping invasions from the southern countries for a long time now. Given this, there’s a degree of logic to saying that the southern nobles should take the lead this time. That’s why they had received aid to finance their defenses. But I guess that’s not everything. 

If the northern nobles remained stubborn about the matter, and delayed the sending of reinforcements, then the mighty fortress of Jermuk wouldn’t stand for long.

Ryoma let out a deep sigh.

Based on the information from Ecclesia about the ongoing situation, Ryoma could see through to the northeastern nobles’ underlying intentions.

The reason they did not want to dispatch any reinforcements wasn’t just due to their rights and duties. It simply came across as if they were using their rights and duties as an excuse for not wanting to risk their lives or those of their citizens on the battlefield.

Of course, Ryoma understood where they were coming from. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pettiness and baseness behind their actions.

The northeastern nobles have such an attitude even though their country is being invaded. They don’t want to put their lives on the line and are just happy to pay money and leave the dangerous, dirty work to someone else. They’ve got balls, tsk.

Nothing was more disheartening than the inability to send reinforcements to help an ally. But Ryoma couldn’t spend all day feeling disheartened by others.

How do we deal with this situation? thought Ryoma, despite having the answer already.

Every minute counted in this situation.

That said, it wasn’t impossible for Ryoma to have the nobles of the Kingdom of Myest adjust their attitudes or for him to appeal to their patriotism and have them put together reinforcements. It would just take some time.

It’s no use... I don’t have any time to run around trying to convince the nobles. If I went about it the proper way, it would take at least a month.

A lot of time had passed since the enemy had begun their siege around Jermuk, which meant Myest and company couldn’t afford to wait another month.

Though that was a groundless conjecture, and no strategist would ever plan their next movements on a groundless guess, Ryoma also didn’t plan to stand around and do nothing.

In all honesty, I’m not too keen on this idea. But I guess there’s nothing else to do. Ryoma had a rather dangerous plan in mind.

Depending on the circumstances, it could affect the relationship between the Kingdom of Myest and the Kingdom of Rhoadseria. Not to mention that Ecclesia might refuse to help too.

After all, I’m planning to head for Jermuk and break the siege with only my own forces. It’s an unthinkable plan.

Rhoadseria and Myest were a part of an alliance spearheaded by Helnesgoula. But they were all different countries, each individually ruled by various monarchs.

The Mikoshiba Grand Duchy had no problem serving as reinforcements in the Kingdom of Myest’s war. But it wouldn’t make much sense for them to be the only reinforcements.

Ryoma still hadn’t had an audience with the king of Myest, Phillip. The nobles might be in uproar for not carrying out the correct procedures, claiming that their nation’s sovereignty had been violated.

Regardless, Ryoma had other concerns.

I’ve yet to meet with the king of Myest. If I can come face-to-face with him, there may still be a way.

In many cases, those at the top approved something without it going through the standard procedures. For example, modern office environments had situations where a business negotiated with the boss directly and set up a contract outside of the usual channels.

For such negotiations to proceed, one first had to lay the groundwork ahead of time or, at the very least, have some form of confirmation about what the person they were negotiating with was like. It was a risky move to forge ahead with trying to make such a deal without having done any of that.

But I have nothing else I can do... Plus, if we mobilize the troops now, it might take the enemy by surprise. They won’t expect my troops to move so suddenly when I haven’t even had an audience with the king.

Ryoma let out yet another deep sigh and stared at Ecclesia. A steely, firm gaze shone through his eyes. An aura surrounded him, the kind only someone who knew the battlefield could produce.

Ecclesia shook ever so slightly in response to his gaze.

“I have a plan,” said Ryoma.

A look of joy covered Ecclesia’s face. She felt like a tortured soul in the depths of hell who had just noticed a thin string of hope appear before her.

However, Ryoma would soon crush that happiness.

“In all honesty, I’m not too keen on it, and there is a possibility that it’ll put you in a tight spot, Lady Ecclesia. But what do you think?”

It was Ecclesia’s only hope.

After hesitating briefly, she nodded. She believed this was the way to save the Kingdom of Myest from the plight they were in.