Chapter 481 - Third Episode: The Engrio Army Crosses the Sea
In Engrio, military reforms are progressing following the defeat in the previous war.
The ones who suffered damage from the defeat were the direct army, which was centered around the knights of the relatives of King Seldic and those around him, as well as the nobles who held territories in the central part of the Kingdom of Engrio, and was composed mainly of those whom King Seldic himself had selected regardless of status.
In the previous war, King Seldic himself led the army along the highway to Regnentes, invaded the basin area that was part of its territory, and occupied most of it. However, after the Regnentes side concentrated their forces at the fortress at the exit of the basin and deployed a scorched-earth policy, making supply through looting difficult, they were caught in a dilemma and suffered a disastrous defeat after receiving a surprise attack at night.
Fortunately, because the Regnentes army lacked pursuit capability, the enemy's attacks were concentrated on the noble knights, and the retreat route itself was secured, they avoided total destruction, but many knights were lost.
Training one's own knightly order takes time and involves great expense. In the direct army, it was thought that there would be no large-scale expeditions for at least several years.
On the other hand, several years before that defeat, when they were also planning an invasion of Regnentes and Primordia, they organized an army mainly composed of nobles from the western region near the invasion route. However, that was literally wiped out. As a result, they were in a state where they lacked even the means to defend their own territory, let alone invade other countries, and finally, King Seldic offered to exempt them from military service in exchange for paying military cooperation fees.
The military cooperation fee is money that can hire a mercenary group equivalent to the combat power that the noble could maintain as military service in an emergency; in other words, it doesn't cost money for the upbringing or maintenance of a knightly order. That amount can be directed toward the management of the territory. The nobles of the western region jumped at King Seldic's offer, anticipating that Regnentes or Primordia would never be able to gather enough combat power to attempt something as grand as an invasion of Engrio. Even if an invasion from those regions were to occur, if they surrendered without fighting because there were no reinforcements from King Seldic, they wouldn't be in a position to be blamed.
As a result, the western region of Engrio became something of a military vacuum, and coupled with Primordia's diplomacy-oriented national strategy, they began to focus on trade with the eastern coast countries of the White Island and the continent, which was not particularly prohibited, and were showing unprecedented vitality.
That rumor naturally reached the nobles of the central and eastern regions of Engrio, and similar offers were gradually beginning to come from small nobles who were not so wealthy.
In such a situation, emergency news was brought to the various countries of the White Island that the Kingdom of East Liber on the continent had gathered a large army and invaded the Kingdom of West Liber.
The time is the end of March; the nights are still somewhat cold, but during the day the sunlight is becoming warmer day by day, and it is a time when the awakening of spring is about to be welcomed.
In the waiting room of the audience chamber of the Sertorian Royal Palace, as usual, the usual members are gathered.
The King and Queen of Sertoria, General Victor of the Kingdom Army, Prime Minister Evans, Secretary General Harris of the Royal Capital Great Church, Captain Hughes of the Royal Guard, and Jones, a worker at the Nakanohara Guard workshop—eight people in total.
"Your Majesty. Has it finally begun?"
At the question from General Victor of the Kingdom of Sertoria, the King, who had placed his crown on his lap and held a cup of beer in his right hand, nodded.
"Yes, there was an emergency report just now."
The source of information was the reconnaissance results from the Aerial Scouts and scouts who were monitoring the Engrio Navy at the port opposite Vectis Island, which receives special autonomous territory treatment in the Kingdom of Engrio. It is said that the ships of the Engrio Navy gathered at the port, under the direct command of King Seldic himself, set sail in large numbers, loaded with personnel, horses, and other military supplies.
"What, he took half of the direct army with him?"
"So it seems."
"In that case, the one left in charge of the Royal Palace is..."
"Yes, it's Margrave Mortimer-阁下."
Margrave Mortimer is a heavyweight in the military department of the Kingdom of Engrio. He is a veteran general who has thrown himself into many battles alongside the previous king since before King Seldic reached adulthood. His territory covers a fairly wide area in northern Engrio, but it borders Regnentes, Sertoria, and Medioland, which can now be called the leader of the White Island. If King Seldic were to dispatch troops to the continent, it was fully expected that the various countries of the White Island, which could be called potential enemies, might invade Engrio. The one who can command the remaining units must have a lineage as good as royalty and skillful combat command in addition to that mobilization capability. Considering those things, there would be no one else. If the one leading the expeditionary force to the continent was King Seldic himself, it was easy to predict that the one staying behind would be Margrave Mortimer. And each country also predicted the reverse.
"The fact that King Seldic himself went means..."
"Yes, the eastern nobles will go too."
Victor's eyes became somewhat sharp.
"With King Seldic?"
"No, that's not it. King Seldic's fleet headed straight for Sertogne, but the eastern nobles headed toward East Liber. It is said the Crown Prince is leading them."
The relationship between Engrio and East Liber is strong, as the Engrio Royal Family itself can be traced back to the territories ruled by the Kingdom of East Liber, and they have been sending reinforcements to each other. And it had become a matter of course for the nobles of the eastern region, whose ancestors originated within the territories ruled by East Liber, to go led by royalty.
The Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Engrio was born between King Seldic and a princess who came from the Kingdom of East Liber. He had frequently visited East Liber with his mother since childhood and was an existence that could be called a symbol of the friendly relations between the two countries.
"Your Majesty, has there been any instruction from Medioland?"
When Victor asked, the King shook his head lightly.
"At the moment, nothing. Even though he took most of the eastern nobles, Mortimer and Medioland remain. They won't be able to move so easily."
"Hmm. Then, are we fine with business as usual for the time being?"
"Not quite. I want you to move some forces to Nakanohara and Higashinohara. Oh, you can take your time."
"Would it be better to mobilize around next month?"
"No, until I give specific instructions, the beginning of summer is fine."
"The beginning of summer? It's only March now... the beginning of summer is quite slow."
"It will be after the Engrio army has invaded West Liber to some extent."
"Hmm. Then, what of the combat power?"
The Sertorian standing army is approximately ten thousand strong, but the offensive combat power, excluding the navy, is the central army stationed in the Royal Capital. That combat power is six thousand.
According to the scouts' intelligence, Engrio's continental expeditionary force is roughly seventeen thousand. The remaining ten thousand remain as garrison personnel. Even if it is difficult for the two northern countries to launch a direct offensive because they must pass through Medioland, if the eighteen thousand troops of the Medioland army are added, it will be sufficient offensive combat power.
Setting aside the countries participating, for other countries, it is desirable for the war to be prolonged and for the Engrio army to cross to the continent for a long period and continue to be consumed. To stall the offensive against West Liber, which is expected to be at a disadvantage, it is better to make them recognize that their own country is under threat and prevent the dispatch of additional forces.
"The fortress in southern Nakanohara can hold five thousand, can't it? Half that will be enough. Hughes, I'll also deploy scouts and Aerial Scouts, so could you make it a base for intelligence?"
Receiving the King's words, Victor looked at Hughes.
"Understood. I'll go too. It would be good to exchange information with the West Liber scouts."
"Yes, I'm counting on you. You probably know this, but don't let them come into contact with the Class of 175 side. That is special."
The Class of 175 side refers to the grooms of the Class of 175. They have an information acquisition route different from the usual one and were moving quite differently from other scouts or Aerial Scouts.
"I know."
"Yes. I'm counting on you."
Victor, who had been listening to the exchange between the King and Hughes, turned a suspicious eye toward the two.
"Is the Class of 175 also participating in intelligence?"
The Class of 175 handles one carriage's worth of cargo at a time and receives special arrangements from the royal families of each country, carrying them duty-free and with zero shipping costs. Only for cargo moving within the Kingdom of Sertoria and the Kingdom of Engrio, they use carriages they purchased themselves and employ two grooms who own their own horses. Cargo destined for Engrio from Nakanohara goes to the Engrio Royal Capital after crossing the border checkpoint south of Nakanohara. They change horses and grooms in the Royal Capital, and then head for the port on the opposite shore of Vectis Island in the south. The return trip is the reverse.
The grooms with their own horses were introduced by the Marcelo Company, but in reality, the budget comes from the Royal Palace, and the grooms are Sertorian soldiers belonging to the Nakanohara Light Infantry Corps.
They don't particularly perform reconnaissance activities. They are just carrying cargo like any other groom, but at night they go to taverns. They listen to rumors there. And those heading to the opposite shore of Vectis Island are on friendly terms with the subordinates of the Count who rules Vectis Island, and sometimes they are handed secret letters from the Count. These are written on the back of wooden tally strips used for identity verification, but they are cleverly hidden by the Vampire Count's Illusion magic and cannot be seen by anyone unless the words of release are spoken. Usually, the grooms wear them around their necks on a string, so they stand out quite a bit. Moreover, when passing through checkpoints, they take them off their necks and show them to the guards before being asked. Since they are permitted to display the lion emblem of the Engrio Royal Family, no one suspected them.
"The contribution of Bishop Jeanne and the Class of 175 truly makes me bow my head."
When Victor said that, Queen Magdalena placed the tip of her lightly bent right finger to her mouth and gave a small chuckle.
"What is it, why is Her Majesty the Queen laughing?"
Victor seemed dissatisfied. A group of eight young women from an orphanage are fulfilling their duties in their respective genres, and as a result, contributing to the nation. Especially, everywhere Jeanne goes, interactions become deeper than ever before, and the level of friendship with Sertoria increases. After that, large-scale transactions by major merchants triggered by trade centered on Mary also became active, and the Royal Capital region is showing vitality, mainly in maritime transport. Victor is a warrior and, always considering himself immature in politics, their activities appeared remarkable to him. He spoke those thoughts, but apparently the Queen didn't think so. For Victor, that was a source of dissatisfaction.
"Victor. Your loyalty to the country truly makes me bow my head. It hasn't changed at all since the days when we used to gather in the downtown area around His Majesty before he was enthroned."
"It's only natural. My wish since those days has been to protect this country."
Victor placed both hands on his hips and puffed out his chest toward the royal couple.
The King remembered the days when he and his brother Roberts used to slip out of the Royal Palace together and walk around knocking down street criminals in the downtown area. For royalty, when leaving the Royal Palace, they would wear appropriate attire and bring guards. However, the males of the Sertorian Royal Family, unlike other countries, are required to walk without guards in the same attire as commoners. The current King and the King's brother were the same. Especially since both their parents were heroes who defeated the Demon Lord, they were raised strictly.
The one those two met during their downtown inspection was Victor, who was a unit commander in the Royal Capital Guard at the time. The two helped Victor, who was struggling alone against multiple street criminals including mages, and that was the beginning.
To Victor, who wondered about the two who were unexpectedly strong and seemed to have received solid combat training for their age after the successful arrest, the two honestly told the truth only to Victor. Victor was astonished to hear the answer, but knowing that the recently talked-about street criminal suppression was their doing, he was impressed and once again vowed to work for the Kingdom of Sertoria, offering to cooperate secretly with their actions.
The relationship between the three has been since then.
"Victor, you are like that, but what about Jeanne and the other eight?"
Queen Magdalena, in a manner befitting her status, spoke as if admonishing the General.
"What do you mean by that?"
"In my opinion, those eight do not have as much loyalty to the Kingdom as you do, do they?"
At the Queen's words, Victor became even more suspicious.
Certainly, those who serve the Kingdom as sincerely as Victor might be rare. However, the eight members of the Class of 175—setting aside Jeanne who is a priest—Beowulf is a soldier of the Kingdom Army, Beatrice is becoming like a symbol of friendship with Regnentes, Wilhelmina serves former Queen Eleanor, Bonnie is a scout for the Kingdom Army, Lyudmila is a figurehead for improving the country's food situation as an agricultural researcher, Mary collects various information as well as trade across various countries, and Matilda is pouring passion into creating cheap and high-quality prosthetic limbs mainly for wounded soldiers—each of them is contributing to the country.
"Is that so? To me, it seems their activities are useful to the Kingdom."
"Of course they are, but their purpose likely doesn't lie there. They are each working hard for themselves, and as a result, it is useful to the country."
Victor tilted his head at the Queen's words. Honestly, he didn't understand what she was saying. People live desperately every day for their own lives. That is the same for Victor. However, it is rare for the path chosen as a means of obtaining sustenance to influence national interests or honor. Moreover, all eight of them are like that.
"By the way, about that Jeanne."
Since Victor had fallen into thought, the King changed the subject.
"She is going to Primordia next for the Great Shark hunt. At that time, a meeting for plague countermeasures will also be held."
"A-Ah, not just Jeanne, but Her Majesty the Queen and Miana-sama are going, aren't they?"
"No, since it's during a war, Miana won't go. It's just Jeanne and the Queen. At that time, we've also arranged to inspect the medical transport and healing vessels that the Queen mentioned before."
Medical vessels are temporary offshore treatment centers that take advantage of the fact that magic can be used at sea as long as it's within a certain distance from the island. The purpose is to treat wounded soldiers brought by small boats while anchored off the coast of the continent, and as Queen Magdalena predicted, Primordia has decided to operate them as support for East Liber and has informed the allied countries.
Primordia said they would actually show the operation of those vessels to Jeanne.
"Is it not dangerous?"
"They probably won't go to the front lines. I'll make sure of that."
The King said so and looked at the Queen, who would be going on the inspection with Jeanne.