kscans

Chapter 201 - The Four Nations' Resolve

The next morning, in the Empire's executive office, Emperor Yorune was already at work. The Guild Master's betrayal had increased her workload. She could no longer entrust the guild to that man. Together with Captain Magnes, she was handling the response to the adventurers.

Just then, the alarm on the wireless transceiver from the Kingdom rang.

"This is Yorune," she said. "Queen Olivia?"

"It is," a voice came from the transceiver. "My apologies for calling so early. This is a matter of great urgency."

At the same time, the alarms on two other transceivers rang.

"This is King Lustolfo. My apologies for the early hour."

"This is Pope Altorine. Please forgive the morning transmission."

They greeted her in kind.

"To call at this hour," Yorune said, her voice serious, "means it must be an emergency."

The four of them fell silent.

It was Olivia who spoke first. "My country has decided to launch a counteroffensive against the monsters."

Her words held no trace of hesitation.

Then, "The Republic will do the same."

"As will the Church."

At these declarations, Yorune asked calmly, "May I ask your reasons?"

The original plan was to buy time until the situation on the Empire's border was resolved. Now, three days later, why had they changed it?

"In my country," Olivia explained, "three high-level monsters, Orc Kings, have appeared, as well as a lizard wrapped in flames that is even larger. This lizard is an unknown monster of immeasurable power. Fortunately, there is little panic, but we don't know how long that will last. I felt that a counteroffensive was necessary to break this stalemate and restore our vitality."

For Queen Olivia to make such a decision... the anxiety in the Kingdom must be that strong.

The Republic spoke next. "Here, we have a food crisis. We were supposed to manage with fish from the port, but bird monsters have taken control of the skies, making it impossible to fish. We have decided to deal a major blow to the monsters to prevent unrest and a decline in morale."

Then the Church followed. "We are in a similar situation. Our food stores in the warehouse district were attacked by monsters, and we now have barely enough for half our people. Furthermore, a high-level monster, an Earth Bear, has been confirmed. A creature of its power could easily destroy our walls. This offensive is for that reason."

Their voices were filled with resolve.

Yorune listened to the situations of the three nations and thought. Before the war, each country had made its own preparations and stockpiled supplies. But the monster side had moved as if they had predicted this, cutting off their supply lines.

It seemed their opponent was one step ahead.

"Here," Yorune said, laying bare her own nation's shame, "the head of the guild... has betrayed us. He has been colluding with the monsters since before the war began, carrying out acts of sabotage in the capital. Last night, he came to me and threatened me, telling me to 'surrender'."

The three of them gasped.

Olivia asked, "And what did you do, Emperor Yorune?"

"I have no intention of surrendering," Yorune replied, her voice firm with determination. "Listening to a man like that will only make the situation worse."

Her emperor-like response seemed to reassure them, as a faint sigh of relief could be heard.

Just then, Altorine spoke up. "But I wonder, how did this person make contact with the monsters? I can't imagine they can communicate with words."

At these words, the other three were stunned.

It was true. The monsters in this war had been using cunning tactics, so they had expected there to be a strategist. But when could the Guild Master have contacted them and built a relationship of trust?

No matter who he was, it was impossible to trust a being he had just met one hundred percent. Unless he was an extreme pushover, it was unthinkable.

"One possibility," Lustolfo mused, "is that he already knew them. But there's no reason for the monster side to contact the Guild Master. They could just crush us with their overwhelming numbers and power. Which means the one who contacted him was likely a familiar face. He probably thought it would make things easier for him."

To this, Yorune replied, "The only people he would know are nobles. But they are all in the capital. And they have never been to the border in the past."

"In that case," Olivia offered another theory, "what if this acquaintance is someone who left the Empire long ago and gained the power to control monsters?"

"Even so," Altorine said, "the chances of such a person gaining that power are low. After all, the only ones who left the Empire were those whose abilities were low and were of no use."

To this, Olivia and Lustolfo nodded in agreement over the transceivers. The new Emperor's policies had seen to it that those who committed acts unbecoming of a noble, such as fraud or corruption, had their assets seized and were exiled. No matter how much they desired revenge, the abilities of such people were low; they posed no threat.

However, Yorune said, "No. There is one person. A year ago, after my father died, a noble said he wanted to spend the rest of his life in a quiet place. The former Chancellor, Vil. In his youth, he rode into battle alongside my father and was well-versed in magic."

The three fell silent. They had heard rumors of the former Emperor's chancellor. His political prowess was said to be among the best on the continent, and he excelled in strategy. If he were the one leading the monsters, then everything that had happened so far would make sense.

Knowledge of the capital's affairs. The placement and procurement of food supplies. The tactics to lower the soldiers' morale.

For someone who had served in the royal palace for many years, obtaining such information would be easy. And, of course, the situations of the other countries as well.

"My father used to say that Emperor Dion had a man who was as good as his right hand," Lustolfo murmured, as if remembering.

A right-hand man... a title given to the one he trusted most.

"I have heard of him as well," Altorine said. "Once, when the previous Emperor invaded, he commanded his forces with a flawless strategy, leaving no openings on any front. The former Pope had to fight a one-on-one duel, which is why the damage was limited to that."

She spoke of a past invasion. The other two thought to themselves, That's not a good thing to bring up right now.

After all, the Guild Master had just betrayed them, and now Vil had turned on humanity as well. To bring up a past invasion in the middle of all this would only strengthen the bad impression of the Empire.

Altorine must have realized this as well. "Oh! N-No, it's not that I think Emperor Yorune is at fault or anything like that. It's just..."

She trailed off.

"Please, don't worry about it," Yorune said in a quiet voice. "What you said, Pope Altorine, is all true. Nothing can change that."

It seemed her concern was unnecessary.

Regaining her composure, Altorine said, "I see. Then, to return to the topic at hand, what will you do, Emperor Yorune?"

"The general at the border also has a transceiver," Yorune replied, a slight smirk on her face. "The Guild Master knows that I can contact him. However, he won't be expecting all three nations to launch a counteroffensive. And my plan is to stage a large-scale battle at the border. We will exterminate the attacking monsters and then advance. Since our information has been leaked, there is no reason to prolong this."

No matter how much he was colluding with the monsters, he couldn't possibly know the fine details. Besides, the Guild Master wanted the Empire for himself. He likely had no interest in the other countries.

"Hmm," Lustolfo said. "So our only advantage over them is the speed of our information transmission. In that case, we will proceed as planned. What about you two?"

To this, Olivia and Altorine replied, "That is our intention."

"We have no objections, either."

It seemed their resolve was firm.

"I am in a position where I must apologize for our blunders," Yorune said. "But please, I beg you, survive."

To this plea, Olivia replied, "That was my intention from the start. I am too young to die yet."

"I still have many things I want to do."

"I will not fall until I have lived a full life."

Hearing this, Yorune said, "Thank you. Until tomorrow, then."

She cut the transmission. Then, she picked up her transceiver again.

At the border front-line base, in the Commander's Office, General Goltor was devising a strategy for the future. Even if the monsters continued to advance and they thinned their numbers, he couldn't see a path to victory. On the other hand, without knowing where the monster leader was, a reckless advance would only mean losing more soldiers. He had ordered combat engineers to find the source of the monsters while the front line fought, but they had yet to find it. What's more, reports were coming in that the monsters were gradually increasing in number.

He couldn't come up with a game-changing plan.

Just then, the alarm on his wireless transceiver sounded.

"This is Yorune. General, can you hear me?"

"This is the General," he replied. "Your Majesty? What is it?"

"I am giving you an Imperial Command," Yorune said. "Use all your forces and strike down the source of the monsters."

She had given the order for an honorable death.