Wortenia Senki (LN) - Volume 27 - Chapter Pr

Prologue

The Kingdom of Myest was one of the countries in the eastern part of the western continent. It was also the home of Pherzaad, one of the biggest trading cities within the continent that dealt primarily with the central and southern nations. Meanwhile, the capital of Myest, Endesia, boasted of its strong financial power through its scale and tenacity. The streets were always constantly bustling with traveling merchants and visitors.

The destinations of the travelers, as well as the secrets they held close to their hearts, varied from one person to the other. Some merchants formed caravans, their hearts filled with hopes and calculated plans as they looked for good deals. Certain adventurers and mercenaries traveled the continent looking for their latest prey. Among them were prisoners running from their crimes and former nobles who had lost everything they owned due to political power struggles. However, it was undeniable that there was an exception to everything, as per the rules of the world.

That day, the Kingdom of Myest’s army, having swelled to over one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers, advanced south along the roads toward the fortress city of Jermuk. It was just past midday, and the sun radiated warmth across the land. A calm gust of wind scattered vivid green leaves that covered the stone-paved road, creating a picturesque scene. However, a massive army was advancing, kicking up clouds of dust. The peaceful atmosphere completely vanished, and the sight of the marching army accompanied by countless military flags stirred the soul.

The man leading the army was one of the three most respected generals within the Kingdom of Myest, and the one referred to as the strongest: Alexis Duran. That said, he wasn’t without his worries as a person leading such a grand army.

Our numbers have grown more than originally planned, which is good, but what am I to do now? 

Such thoughts crossed Alexis Duran’s mind. When they left Endesia, they had about one hundred thirty thousand troops. Due to the influence of the nobles who owned the southern territories within Myest, their army had swelled to more than one hundred and fifty thousand men. Usually, having such an influx of soldiers wouldn’t be a bad thing, though if General Duran had made a slight miscalculation, it wasn’t good either. Having the soldiers’ numbers rise from one hundred thirty thousand soldiers to one hundred fifty thousand meant that the ration consumption they had planned for was now closer to 1.2 times the original estimate. Plus, there was always the possibility that even more reinforcements might appear.

Since the southern nobles are all joining the campaign, I can see our numbers growing, but I can’t see them reducing at all. 

Of course, General Duran had accounted for the possibility of unexpected developments when procuring supplies, so it was unlikely that anything would go wrong immediately.

But even so, it’s not an issue I can simply overlook. 

Regardless of how it was done, General Duran would need to procure more supplies by buying them from merchants or having them sent from the military reserves within the royal capital.

Not to mention that every time the nobles join in our march, they always seek to meet with me directly, mused General Duran, understanding the nobles’ intentions. After all, there is no one else they can depend on other than me... The death of King Phillip, which resulted from the recent attack on the royal capital of Endesia, and the appointment of Owen Spiegel, the king’s half brother and former chancellor, as the new king—it all must have come as a complete shock to many living in the Kingdom of Myest.

Every time the nobles joined the army, General Duran had to meet with them and express his gratitude, which slowed down the army’s progress on their march.

Regardless, the nobles joining the army did so to show allegiance to the newly appointed King Owen. If they are helping to maintain the troops’ morale, I have to treat them with care. 

General Duran’s presence was an emotional pillar to those still reeling from King Phillip’s death and Owen Spiegel’s appointment. The name Alexis Duran had that much power to it. But while he had a notable reputation, it still had its limits.

Considering everything that happened right after the king was assassinated, the soldiers’ morale has been higher than expected... However, there is no doubt that the soldiers probably harbor some unease.

The soldiers Duran was leading were originally headed to the fortress city of Jermuk to assist in the siege and fight against the Brittantia-Tarja alliance. Although a rumor circulated that the northern Myest nobles had colluded with the southern kingdoms to facilitate the recent attack on Endesia, few people actually believed it. No one had denied the rumors, but there was a sense of suspicion among the populace.

After all, there were hardly any reasons for the northern nobles to attack Phillip. 

That was not to say that the northern nobles didn’t have plans to assassinate Phillip, seeing as he was tightening his grip on the nobles. The nobles held more influence than the royal family and Phillip had wanted to increase the royal family’s control within the country.

Most nobles desired to have autonomy over the regions they owned. It made sense they considered it a natural right and duty of the nobles. But from the point of view of the state, it was nothing other than the height of inefficiency. 

Phillip implemented numerous measures to limit the nobles’ authority, meaning the idea of the northern nobles orchestrating an assassination of Phillip wasn’t such a far-fetched idea.

However, it’s also true that the idea lacks some degree of persuasiveness. 

After all, that applied to the nobles within the nation. The soldiers understood those various points of doubt and also went along with it. This was likely due to the fame and power of Alexis Duran, as well as the presence of the nobles.

The nobles’ participation in this plan visibly demonstrates the righteousness of it, thought General Duran. It had gone exactly how he had planned. Even that has its limits, though, so urgent action is needed.

Although their loyal service made it appear that the flames had been extinguished, the fire of doubt still burned within the soldiers’ hearts. The longer it smoldered, the more likely it was to develop into a roaring inferno.

I need to rid them of their doubts... And to do that, we need to present them with a scapegoat they will accept. 

The problem was, who would act as that scapegoat?

Right now, the two suitable candidates I can think of are Ryoma Mikoshiba and Ecclesia Marinelle. Cassandra Hellner, who had made no attempt to leave Pherzaad, is also an option.

Of course, they weren’t the ones behind the king’s death at all. The one who orchestrated the series of plots was Tomohiro Kusuda, acting under the orders of Akitake Sudou. Since Sudou was merely acting in the interest of the Organization, if they were to question who ultimately bore the responsibility, it would fall to someone among the elders, who were the effective rulers of the Organization.

The one who had actually killed Phillip in order to usurp the throne was Owen Spiegel, although Alexis Duran had spurred him on in the first place and set events in motion. Attempts to blame either Ryoma Mikoshiba or Ecclesia Marinelle would fail. However, it would take a thorough investigation to uncover that reality. In cases like this, sometimes the truth wasn’t that important.

Of course, we need to weave a plausible story. 

In summary, General Duran needed to come up with a cover story that would convince the people living within the Kingdom of Myest. He had already thought up another possibility.

Well, this is only if Owen Spiegel takes the throne from the former King Phillip. The future isn’t set in stone.

The other option was turning the plan completely around. If push came to shove, General Duran wouldn’t hesitate to choose that option.

However, if I do choose that, it would invite a lot of misfortune in his direction...

General Duran felt no sense of obligation or attachment strong enough to make him want to wholeheartedly support Owen. If the current situation threatened the interests of the Organization, General Duran would not hesitate to pin Owen as the mastermind behind the king’s assassination and cast him out. To Alexis Duran, the new king was nothing more than a pawn. The preparations for everything were already in place, all based on intricate calculations. He was a man well-versed in planning and strategy.

In the past one hundred to two hundred battles that Alexis had claimed victory in, over half of them could be credited to his strategies. It was more accurate to describe him as someone who sat behind the front lines controlling the tide of battle rather than a ferocious general, swinging his spear on the battlefield and accumulating his victories that way. However, even a general like him sometimes faced unforeseen situations.

The soldiers’ march suddenly stopped.

Huh? Did something happen on the front line? General Duran slightly cocked his head in confusion before turning to the person closest to him. He then asked, “What’s happened? The march has stopped. Did something happen?”

“I’m not quite sure... Please wait a moment. We’re trying to figure out what happened,” said Dennis, who ran toward the front line.

Alexis Duran knew sending a subordinate to investigate would be quicker than going himself. As he watched Dennis run, he began to ponder what could have caused them to stop.

I don’t think we’re under attack... If we were, I’d hear the shouts and clash of swords, but it’s too quiet for that. Plus, we’re in an unsuitable location for an ambush. I can’t imagine any enemies would attack us here.

While General Duran couldn’t entirely discount the possibility of thieves or monsters attacking, there were no thieves—or monsters—stupid enough to attack such a large army. Outside of that, there weren’t any other obvious reasons for the march to suddenly come to a stop.

Unless...

Several possibilities crossed Duran’s mind, only to then fade away. The most likely explanation was that a carriage had broken down, or maybe a pregnant woman had gone into labor.

But if that were the case, we’d have plenty of ways to deal with it.

If an axle or wheel had broken on the carriage, one of the military engineers or blacksmiths would be able to fix it, and the soldiers could move the carriage to the side of the road. If a woman were pregnant or ill, General Duran would have someone ride a horse to town and fetch a doctor or arrange for someone to take her to a doctor. An urgent situation would require the doctors who were part of the army to see them. Regardless of how they handled it, the situation would be settled easily. Depending on the personality of the commanding officer of the leading unit, they might simply ignore someone crying before them and carry on marching.

A noble might pose an issue, but the only people who could stop a marching army would be either a commoner or a nomadic adventurer. Depending on the circumstance, the person holding them up might face punishment, and no one would criticize such a decision.

Such an incident in the modern world would become a huge scandal... I remember someone saying they now use something called social networking services.

It had been around a half-century since Alexis Duran was summoned to Earth from Rearth. As the saying goes, “Ten years feels like a lifetime.” The Rearth that Duran once lived on now existed only in memory and history. However, that didn’t mean he lacked any knowledge of the present.

I have lots of opportunities to hear about it from the people who join the Organization.

There was no lack of people being summoned from Rearth to Earth. The catalysts required for the rituals had become more difficult to obtain in recent years, so the frequency of summonings had decreased, but only slightly. The decrease was purely due to practical factors and didn’t indicate a ban on or a decline of interest in the use of the summoning rituals.

According to an estimate by the Organization, which may or may not have been reliable, more than a thousand people from Rearth were summoned to this hell each year.

In addition, some unlucky individuals find themselves trapped in naturally occurring distortions of space-time and end up in this world.

Most of these people either ended up in the belly of some monster or perished on the battlefield as slave soldiers. Still, the Organization protected some of them based on their abilities or luck. Through them, the Organization gathered information about the current state of Rearth.

Though it may be heartless...

On a personal level, Alexis Duran did not approve of the current state of this world. While his sense of human rights may not have been as advanced as in modern society, he wasn’t entirely devoid of the concept before being summoned to this world.

The strong exploited and oppressed the weak. That was just the reality of this world. If you didn’t like it, your only choice was to become stronger.

Moreover, the commoners understand the social hierarchy all too well, Alexis pondered. For that reason, they usually wouldn’t seek help unless it was an extreme emergency and instead just flee from the situation. In any case, there’s no reason to stop the army’s march over such trivial matters.

There were countless ways to deal with obstacles, such as changing course to avoid them or physically removing them.

As long as we’re not in a narrow, cliff-lined area, there’s no reason we can’t go off the main road.

Sticking to the road, protected by thaumaturgical barriers, was generally safer and a basic rule of travel in this world. But circumstances could change. With these thoughts occupying his mind, General Duran spent a few minutes in contemplation.

“Your Excellency, may I have a moment?” a voice called out. General Duran shifted his gaze to Dennis, who had returned from checking on the situation, waiting atop his horse.

It seemed Dennis had ridden up to the front line to investigate. His horse was breathing heavily, a sign of pushing itself to the limit. And judging from Dennis’s expression, the situation wasn’t good.

Has something happened that this man is unable to handle?

Noticing the confusion on Dennis’s face, General Duran felt puzzled. If it had been anything he had anticipated, Dennis should have handled it on his own. General Duran had only ordered a situation report, after all.

Even so, no one among Duran’s closest aides was so incompetent that they’d be unable to decide on moving a carriage or rendering aid to a pregnant woman or a critically ill person without explicit orders.

That’s the sort of thing that should be handled with flexibility.

If anyone among his aides were to display such rigid thinking, General Duran would have no choice but to order their execution. Of course, he would likely dismiss such incompetence with a bitter smile if Dennis were a regular soldier. But things were different when it came to his inner circle.

As close aides to Duran—the man responsible for an entire nation’s military—assisting the busy general was their main duty. If Alexis Duran had to make every decision, there would be no point in having aides.

Serving as Alexis Duran’s aide was a highly honorable position. However, at the same time, it demanded responsibility, capability, and determination beyond mere honor. And those who surrounded Duran were fully aware of his nature.

So, what on earth has happened?

General Duran’s heart grew restless. He honestly didn’t want to hear the report. But under the circumstances, not listening to Dennis’s report wasn’t an option.

“Very well... So, what is it?” General Duran asked.

Dennis hesitated before saying, “Yes, Your Excellency. The reconnaissance team reported that a large group of people is moving north toward the capital.”

Duran thought for a moment after hearing the report, then gave a small nod. “I see... A group moving north at this time would likely be our countrymen.”

“Yes, most likely, it’s the residents of Jermuk and the surrounding areas,” Dennis replied.

Hearing this, Duran clicked his tongue sharply. Of course, the possibility of refugees from other countries couldn’t be ruled out. Bandits and monsters frequently destroyed villages and towns. But given the timing, it was most natural to assume that the people fleeing were from the Jermuk region.

That Bruno Accordo... I told him not to plunder or burn unnecessarily because it would complicate things later, but he must’ve ignored me. Or maybe it was Raul Giordano?

There were already some agreements with Bruno and the forces of the allied army regarding postwar arrangements. The kingdoms of Myest, Britannia, and Tarja were all but certain to form a coalition. Thus, General Duran had ordered Bruno, the commander of the allied army, to refrain from unnecessary plunder or destruction.

Of course, I never expected him to fully avoid it, but... From Dennis’s tone, it sounds like there aren’t just a few hundred or even a thousand. More like several thousands.

General Duran could understand why the army would stop its march if such a large number of refugees appeared in their path.

“And what’s the number? Twenty or thirty thousand? Surely not more than fifty thousand?” asked General Duran, proposing what seemed to be a reasonable estimate.

The Jermuk region had around thirty villages and towns. Together with the city of Jermuk, the population of the area exceeded three hundred thousand. But south of Jermuk, there were no major urban centers, just a few villages of several hundred to a thousand people each. Even if all those villages had been plundered, the number of refugees would likely not exceed five thousand.

In most cases, it was hard to imagine the entire population of a village fleeing unless their homes were completely destroyed, their food taken, or the inhabitants massacred. Most would choose to stay behind and rebuild their homes.

Most people in this world are reluctant to leave their homeland... The same distrust of immigrants and refugees applies here too. Even if they decide to leave temporarily, they’d most likely head to Jermuk, the nearest fortified city.

Jermuk could accommodate a large number of people, and its high walls would offer psychological comfort. Once the war was over, they could quickly return to their villages and begin rebuilding.

Even though Archduke Mikoshiba’s army had entered Jermuk as reinforcements for the Kingdom of Myest, the residents naturally felt uneasy about the future of the war. This was especially true considering that King Phillip had recently passed away, and a new king had just ascended to the throne.

Given the situation, it’s understandable that more people would want to flee to the capital, pondered General Duran, finding the scout’s report of tens of thousands of refugees heading toward the capital reasonable. Though tens of thousands might be a bit exaggerated...

While General Duran had asked Dennis if there were tens of thousands, he expected the number to be closer to around ten thousand. That was the figure he arrived at based on his experience. However, his estimate was completely inaccurate and far worse than anticipated.

“No, it’s not tens of thousands... While we don’t have an exact count, the scouts reported that the road was filled with people as far as the eye could see. After confirming several times, they estimated it to be over two hundred thousand, possibly as many as three hundred thousand.”

Upon hearing those words, Duran shouted involuntarily, “Impossible! Over three hundred thousand?!” Even for the battle-hardened Alexis Duran, this was an unimaginable number. Three hundred thousand? That’s impossible. Even if they were fleeing from raiders and plunderers, that’s an absurd estimate.

If the oncoming crowd were tens of thousands, it would still be understandable. It would be a bit of a stretch from his prediction of around ten thousand, though human error in visual estimation could explain that discrepancy. However, no one would mistake ten thousand people for three hundred thousand.

That’s too big a gap to be a mistake or misjudgment... Could the scouts be lying? Or have we fallen for some sort of ruse?

As General Duran faced this unexpected development, his sharp mind began to consider and dismiss various possibilities.

But what bothers me is that number of three hundred thousand. If the scouts’ report is accurate, the only possible explanation would be that the entire population of Jermuk and all the surrounding region has taken flight. But could that even be possible? And if it is, why? Why would they do such a thing?

To General Duran’s knowledge, the fortress city of Jermuk wasn’t on the verge of falling. After all, Archduke Mikoshiba’s forces had driven away the enemies surrounding the city and entered it.

The general consensus was that the situation was either balanced or slightly in favor of the defending forces, and Duran shared that view. Hans Randall recently sent a secret letter via carrier pigeon, declaring that Archduke Mikoshiba’s forces had decisively defeated the allied army outside the city.

Naturally, General Duran had prepared for the possibility that Hans’s letter might be false or misleading, but no new reports had suggested that Jermuk had fallen. If such an important strategic point had fallen to the enemy, they would have received word by now.

Even if there had been some mistake or confusion in the report, it was hard to imagine that Jermuk had fallen.

So why would the people leave their fortified city, with its high walls and solid defenses?

It was unthinkable.

If anyone had reason to flee, it would have been the enemy soldiers, not the residents of Jermuk. After all, Archduke Mikoshiba had amassed enough forces to defeat the allied forces and free the fortress city.

And if Hans Randall’s letter was to be believed, there was no reason for three hundred thousand people to abandon their city and head for the capital.

General Duran, who led over one hundred fifty thousand troops of the Kingdom of Myest, marched south along the highway toward Jermuk. The consequences of encountering another force of equal or greater size were obvious.

It would lead to chaos... But what should we do? thought Alexis Duran. Even his sharp mind couldn’t immediately find a solution. Should we move our forces off the road into the surrounding fields? It’s not impossible, given the area is mostly grassland, but...

At first glance, that seemed like a reasonable option. However, General Duran quickly dismissed the idea.

Our formation consists of ranks of fifteen men, and already stretches across the road and into the fields on each side. Assuming a space of about 1.5 meters between ranks, the length of the entire column would be roughly fifteen kilometers. If the distance between them grows, it would stretch even further. Even if I send a messenger now, I doubt we’d have time to react, and this would only create more confusion.

The Kingdom of Myest’s army had formed a long column, with Duran positioned near the front but not at the head. Although his distance calculation had assumed a 1.5-meter gap between ranks of infantry, the army did not consist solely of infantry.

There were also cavalry and engineers. The fifteen-kilometer estimate was just the minimum distance, though it could stretch to nearly twenty kilometers. Above all, the logistics units occupied the rear, transporting food and equipment in a long train of wagons.

The infantry and cavalry might be able to divert off the road, but the logistics wagons? It’s impossible for them to move through the grasslands... Considering that, moving aside is out of the question.

That left only one option.

We’ll have to send troops ahead quickly and halt the refugees, then guide them off the road onto the plains and let our army pass by.

It was like trying to navigate a single-lane mountain road, where one side had to pull over to let the other pass. But unlike vehicles that could simply stop and go, coordinating the movements of large groups took immense time and effort.

It will take more than a day or two. They’re just a disorganized mob—no real order among them.

As commander of the Kingdom of Myest’s forces, General Duran had to consider the welfare of the refugees. He had to manage the situation until someone else could take over the responsibility.

Even if we set up camps for them near the capital, it will take time to organize everything... A week, maybe ten days, thought General Duran, realizing that Kusuda’s scheme had been thwarted.

That night, inside a tent set up on the grasslands, Alexis Duran was lost in thought. This was not the initially planned campsite. The original site was several dozen kilometers further south, but the report from the scouts earlier that day had made General Duran change plans suddenly.

Despite the trouble it caused, General Duran felt relieved. The situation seemed under control, and the change had led to a satisfactory outcome. He praised his subordinate for the decision to halt the march.

Casualties would have occurred if he hadn’t ordered that halt after hearing the scout’s report. Though some might criticize him for acting on his own, he’s offered to take responsibility, and we should commend his flexibility in situations like this.

Indeed, rewarding merit and punishing wrongdoings was essential for maintaining discipline in the military. Acting independently could be seen as a breach of discipline, though.

But every action has two sides.

Upholding military discipline was necessary, but becoming too rigid and causing needless harm was counterproductive. Ultimately, it boiled down to balance and the capacity of those in charge to make decisions. Without intervention, hundreds of thousands of people could have been reduced to a disorganized mob.

The refugees would likely have reacted in four ways, mused Alexis Duran. He believed some refugees would have tried to advance while others would have steered to the side, retreated, or remained stationary. There was no one to command the whole group.

This would have led to chaos, making a disaster inevitable. Whether by accident or malice, there was a high likelihood of someone being trampled if they fell because a disorganized crowd was impossible to control.

And worse, if things had gone badly, Myest’s army could have ended up killing our own citizens, he thought. An arrogant, self-serving commander might have ordered their army to march forward, even if it meant crushing the refugees. Of course, there are times when civilian sacrifices are necessary for military strategy or tactics.

The key was how to handle the aftermath. People would only accept a ruthless decision if they were given sufficient reason or benefit to justify it. Failure to explain it would cause unrest among the citizens and lower the soldiers’ morale.

This disaster had been avoided.

Even though his actions were close to overstepping, his judgment was correct, reckoned General Duran, as it wouldn’t be unreasonable for him to be more lenient toward such a subordinate. However, promoting or rewarding him might be difficult. I could bring him into my inner circle and make it look like a punishment to others.

Finally, General Duran began to see a path forward. He reached for the glass on the table, and the golden liquid slid smoothly down his throat.

Using the residents of Jermuk to delay us... Hmph.

The idea was common, but pulling it off was no easy feat.

After all, the Kingdom of Helnesgoula led a four-nation coalition that included the Kingdom of Rhoadseria and the Kingdom of Myest as allies. Therefore, Archduke Mikoshiba’s and Myest’s armies were technically allies as well.

Despite this, Ryoma Mikoshiba had rejected having the Myest Kingdom assist Jermuk. This meant he had seen through General Duran’s intentions.

Mikoshiba even ordered the residents to take all their belongings with them when they evacuated, which is interesting.

People needed money to live in society—for food, clothes, and shelter. If they didn’t have money, they would have to be entirely self-sufficient to survive. Evacuees would naturally want to take their belongings with them.

However, most military commanders wouldn’t allow residents to take all their possessions with them. By allowing this, Ryoma Mikoshiba would be praised as a benevolent leader.

When I heard from the residents, they all spoke highly of Mikoshiba. Taking away all their possessions would slow the refugees down.

Yet Ryoma’s decision to let the people take their belongings wasn’t out of kindness. General Duran had seen through the archduke’s strategy.

Ryoma Mikoshiba...

A smile crept across Duran’s face.

Mr. Sudou’s letter mentioned him, and he is an interesting man. I can understand why Mr. Kusuda has mixed feelings about him.

As a leader, it might have been an inappropriate sentiment. But as a fellow strategist, General Duran couldn’t help but admire the cunning man who had outmaneuvered him.

“I’d like to meet him one day...if he survives his battle with the coalition forces under the fierce General Bruno Accordo,” said General Duran. Just because his army wouldn’t reach Jermuk in time didn’t mean Ryoma Mikoshiba would gain the upper hand. General Duran laughed aloud, relishing the presence of a worthy adversary after so long.