Chapter 548
The heads of the expeditionary forces from both nations started operating like administrative civil servants rather than military leaders in the control room of the royal castle.
“Lords from various regions have declared their intention to surrender.”
“The public sentiment in the capital seemed restless, but we calmed things down with a bit of flour.”
“The ministers have declared their active cooperation, though the Minister of Military Affairs and the Minister of Agriculture have submitted their resignations.”
And in the office where the 6th Corps Commander and Marquess Iskertal were stationed, reports began piling in every ten minutes, detailing the swings of power within the Leon Kingdom.
Everything that should have reached the King—movements of the regional lords constituting the kingdom, the atmosphere in the capital, the actions of the ministers handling the affairs—was redirected to the new masters, the expeditionary forces.
Well, honestly at this point, calling them an occupying force would be more accurate.
“Resign?”
“Well, let’s accept it. After all, the Minister of Military Affairs and the Minister of Agriculture are just a couple of old timers on the brink of retirement, right? We don’t want rumors of elder abuse circulating.”
“That’s true. Sounds reasonable.”
Anyway, the 6th Corps Commander and Marquess Iskertal found a mutually agreeable point while dealing with the nonstop reports.
It’s lucky, really. If those two decision-makers had started squabbling every time a report came in, the staff below would have been the ones to suffer. But since the decision-makers were resolving matters quickly instead of bickering, the staff could consider them ideal bosses.
Perhaps this was also the Emperor and King of Armein’s way of ensuring that there was no unnecessary discord while they shared the spoils. Except for their family’s prestige being astronomically high, the 6th Corps Commander and Marquess Iskertal surprisingly matched well enough.
“What’s more important than these minor details?”
‘Nope.’
Meanwhile, Marquess Iskertal dismissed the recent matters as trivial. What does that make me, who deemed them reports crucial to the kingdom?
“Shall we start deciding on the next royal family soon?”
However, I couldn’t help but agree with his next statement.
Right. Compared to establishing the next royal family, other issues were indeed minor.
“Armein has narrowed it down to about three houses.”
“The Empire has two.”
“Five should make short work of it.”
Watching the serious-looking conversation between the two, I quietly stood up from my seat.
The workday had just ended. When weighing the next royal family against my quitting time, it was nothing but peanuts.
It took less than five minutes to get from the royal castle to the mansion.
“Great work today!”
“It’s only natural to dedicate myself for the Patriarch! Don’t worry about it!”
Patting the shoulder of the always-reliable wizard, I got a response with military precision.
Satisfied with the reply, I nodded and moved along. I should probably prepare a decent bonus for him soon. Without him, this ultra-long-distance commuting wouldn’t have even crossed my mind.
“Oppa.”
As soon as I stepped into the mansion, Rizie greeted me with a bright smile from the entrance.
“Why are you loitering out here in the cold?”
“I just came out myself. You always arrive right around this time, oppa.”
Seeing Rizie giggle made me chuckle too.
This is why I’m so obsessed with leaving work on time. If I’m even a minute late, she’d be shivering out in the cold like it’s open season for frostbite.
“But, Rizie.”
“Yes?”
“Why don’t you call me ‘honey’ anymore?”
At those words, Rizie stiffened up, darting her eyes around.
Her adorably surprised reaction always puts a smile on my face. Now that we’re officially husband and wife and even expecting a baby, how is it that she’s still trembling over the term “honey”?
She even called me “honey” on our wedding day.
‘Not like I forced her to say it.’
She called me that of her own volition, and now she’s shy about it. I’m guessing she was swept up in the wedding excitement when she blurted it out.
“Well, um, I’ve been calling you oppa for three years, so I guess it became a habit…”
“I always call you by a nickname.”
“W-well…”
Rizie frantically searched for a way to excuse herself when I gently pressed my lips to her forehead.
Better not tease her too much, or I’d be causing stress, and that won’t be good for our little cherry blossom inside.
“When our cherry blossom is born, will you call me honey then?”
“Yes, yes! I’ll definitely call you that by then!”
Watching Rizie nod fervently filled me with certainty.
I guess for the next few months, it’s better not to keep my hopes up.
“Oh, by the way, I brought a present today.”
With that, I shifted topics to avoid the “honey” title debate. As tempting as the term is, it takes second place to a gift for my wife.
“A present?”
“This.”
I pulled out a seal from my pocket, taking a moment to let Rizie’s puzzled expression settle.
“I got us a Count’s territory.”
“…Huh?”
More specifically, I tucked away land as large as a Count’s territory from the royal demesne near the capital. Neither the 6th Corps Commander nor Marquess Iskertal seemed to mind. In fact, they encouraged me to take more.
Of course, the land would be ruled by Rizie and our cherry blossom, and it’s not exactly prime real estate since it’s near the capital. Even in a world where teleportation is possible, I don’t want to waste time managing border territories.
‘Guess I’ll have to sweet-talk a border Count.’
So, I’m thinking of making a trade with an okay Count along the border. That way, he can move his fief closer to the capital, and I get the land adjacent to the Empire. It sounds like it could be a mutually satisfying deal.
‘The Naiard Count.’
Just imagining it fills me with pride. If I could elevate my wife’s family to the ranks of high nobility as her husband, it would be an unmatched honor.
My name will forever resonate within the Naiard family.
As I got to work, I was welcomed back to the command control room, which had a slightly subdued atmosphere compared to yesterday.
But looking at the expressions of the staff, it seemed there wasn’t a severe crisis looming or discontent brewing between the two commanders. Instead, they just wore the faces of people dealing with a “pain in the butt” situation.
‘Is something about to blow up?’
However, something spooked me. We’d already dealt with most issues, and even the royal family of Leon, who could at least theoretically scrutinize our actions, seemed resigned to their fate. Why would the leadership be grumbling about this situation—
“Troops from the Kingdom of Quoronos have crossed the border.”
Ah, there it is.
Thanks to the whisper of an aide who caught my eye, I could identify the source of this annoying piece of news.
Sorry. Honestly, with both the Empire and Armein having entered the capital, do those rookies crossing the border even register on my radar? I’d completely forgotten about them at some point.
‘Are Quoronos weak, or is Leon just strong?’
I felt like I was about to sigh over a question with no clear answer.
We hadn’t engaged in any battles with the Leon Kingdom forces and had no real grasp of their combat abilities. Considering Leon’s established military reputation, they probably wouldn’t be on the level of mere dummies, but with the state of the nation having been in such shambles for 30 years, declaring them a strong army seems a stretch too.
And yet, Quoronos troops finally crossed the border against the Leon forces. Not even the western front in charge of the Empire or the north border with Armein, but now they’ve picked a fight with the eastern front’s forces.
“If they’ve crossed the border, they’ll be at the capital in no time.”
But how long they’ve been stalled at the border is irrelevant. With Leon losing a vast expanse of territory in the east, the distance from their eastern border to the capital is not far off. In fact, it’s even closer than to both the Empire and Armein.
“That’s what we thought too, but… they’re not making for the capital.”
“What?”
I repeated the unexpected news in disbelief.
“Currently, the troops from the Kingdom of Quoronos are merely hovering around eastern Leon and suppressing the rebellious lords.”
…
“Ha.”
These fools must be out of their minds.
*
The one with flour in their head must really be insane.
“Lieutenant.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“What’s the probability of the corps commander dying in battle?”
“Well, unless he’s up against a real iron-blooded general, it’s likely less than 1%.”
That makes sense. That’s why I’m putting myself through this torture.
‘What a lunatic.’
Grinding my teeth, I chewed on a certain so-called senior, who also bore the title of a bastard. I just can’t believe that such an idiot is the commander of the expeditionary forces among the many generals.
Could he have actually won his commander position through poker? He may not know much, but he’s skilled at politics, so it’s a distinct possibility.
‘Damn.’
And now I’m about to cry over the fact that the fate of the expeditionary forces was decided by a bunch of frickin’ cards.
‘What a lunatic.’
No matter how positively I spin it, there’s no way to grasp why this whacko is acting this way.
Currently, both the Empire and Armein forces have marched into the capital, and the two beasts sparing no conflict within the confines of the capital indicates that both nations have agreed to cooperate in facing the current Leon predicament.
With a small nation like Leon up for grabs, it wouldn’t be too much for a major power to monopolize. After all, doing so would only mean slicing a piece off the already dwindling share.
Yet, us—a small nation—decided to intervene in this matter? Without even thinking about trying to meet with either the Empire or Armein, we’re unilaterally occupying the eastern Leon territory?
‘It’s practically a declaration of war.’
Given our small stature next to the might of the Empire and Armein, this is outright suicide. It’s like saying we’re voluntarily engaging in self-destruction. The moment we set foot in Leon, we should have been groveling at the feet of the enemies here—not provoking??
“…Lieutenant.”
“Yes, Your Excellency. I’m aware of the reports.”
Before I could even ask, the lieutenant responded in a shaky voice.
I think it’s safe to say that everyone present felt the same chill running down their spines.
“Ha.”
A bitter chuckle escaped my lips. They say when people witness something they cannot accept, they lose their minds, but the clarity of my own mind only intensified at this moment.
‘We’re screwed.’
Like the heavens ripping apart in divine anger, I immediately sensed the wrath of the Empire.
The personification of that wrath would be no slouch whatsoever.
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