episode_0014

“Artiom Empire?”

“Yes. Are you not aware?”

“No, I’ve heard of it. Isn’t that the ice chunk of a country to the east?”

I was slightly taken aback by the sudden activity of a country that had been isolated from the international community.

Wait, weren’t they never interested in war until now?

“As far as I know, I heard they don’t believe in the Goddess Order.”

“They believe in indigenous gods. And it varies from region to region, so it’s practically a country without a national religion.”

Although the Goddess Order is recognized as a common and only faith throughout the continent, not all countries agree with it.

The most representative examples are the Artiom Empire and the nomads of the grasslands attached to its south.

Since ancient times, due to the harsh environment, there has been little influx of foreign cultures, so cultural and ideological independence is firmly established.

So, whether God exists or not, they just believe whatever they feel like.

“……But even they intervened in this matter. Are they trying to keep their rivals in check at this opportunity?”

“Keep in check, you say?”

“Yes. Since a large-scale war has broken out, they may be planning to take advantage of the opportunity to weaken the national power of the participating countries.”

From the cause to the development of the war, it was a country that had no reason to get involved in the first place.

The Artiom Empire has no alliance with any of the current participating countries, and it doesn’t have any colonies on the Helvetia Peninsula.

Even if they stayed still, there was no possibility of being caught up in the war.

Nevertheless, as soon as they had the excuse of religion, they deliberately stuck their heads in?

This means the purpose is the war itself rather than the gains from the war.

They want and desire each other to fight, people to die, and the people’s lives and the country’s economy to be devastated.

‘Divide and conquer, huh. They’ve put some thought into it.’

The more that happens, the easier it will be for them to advance into the West, and they will be able to fend off checks from the international community.

For the Artiom Empire, which has always been trapped in the eastern ice chunk of territory and wants to move to the warm west, that would be the best-case scenario.

“If what Mr. Ishmael says is true, isn’t this a big problem? The number of participating countries is suddenly increasing.”

“That’s true. But I think it’ll be alright.”

An unexpected emergency situation.

But instead of panicking, I was able to calmly observe the situation.

Both the position and the culture.

Is it because it has many similarities to Russia in the original world? The characteristics of the country are quite similar.

Therefore, I wasn’t too worried.

“…..Why is that?”

“Their expeditions are terrible.”

Those guys are really bad at fighting.

* * * * *

“The Artiom Empire, has intervened, you say…..”

King Haribel VII of the Nabre Kingdom clutched his throbbing head.

He was already annoyed that a small country like the Helvetia Republic was still holding out, and now there’s another new enemy.

Why does this damn continent keep meddling in other people’s affairs?

“Is it just a statement of criticism for now?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“But it won’t end with just this.”

A statement is like a warning.

It means that they are maintaining such and such a position, so be prepared to break up if you oppose it.

However, in the midst of a war, there is no way that the conflict will suddenly be resolved.

The fight will never end until one side runs out of strength and surrenders.

Even if they wanted to end it, there was no way the other side would agree.

In the end, this is what it meant.

[We support the Elaine Kingdom and Helvetia. But you guys are making it hard for them? We’re going to mess you up from now on. Wash your necks and wait.]

They just packaged this with diplomatic rhetoric, plausible hypocrisy, and appropriate nonsense. It’s practically a declaration of war.

Either way, they’re planning to attack us, so should we be grateful that they gave us a warning?

“Minister of Military Affairs.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Our country is already dealing with the Elaine Kingdom and the Helvetia Republic at the same time. But if the Artiom Empire joins in, can we withstand it?”

In response to King Haribel VII’s question, the Minister of Military Affairs pondered for a moment, then said confidently with a not-so-dark expression.

“It won’t be difficult. It’s difficult to push the front line and conquer the enemy, but it’s definitely possible to defend.”

“Is that so? I knew my army was loyal, but I didn’t know it was that great.”

“It’s not just because our army is strong. It’s also because our enemies are so weak.”

The Helvetia Republic? Those little guys are good at holding out, but they don’t have the capacity to launch a counterattack.

Even now, they are prioritizing governing and protecting the territory they have seized, so even if we don’t attack, we don’t have to worry about being counterattacked.

Then what about the Elaine Kingdom? They’ve been raided and robbed of several areas, including the border area, and they’re still in a state of shock.

They’re now hastily gathering the remaining troops and gathering the lords’ armies, but it’ll probably be like that for a few months.

If we slowly solidify the front line and build a defense line, we won’t have to worry about being pushed back for the time being.

The only variable is the Artiom Empire……these guys are messed up.

I’m not looking down on them, it’s the truth.

“Why should we be afraid of barbarians who live by digging in the frozen land?”

“Hmm, well, that’s true.”

The territory of Artiom is vast. It’s more than ten times the size of the Nabre Kingdom and the Kram Empire combined.

There are so many mountains and forests that you can’t name them all, and there are plenty of pastures for raising horses and mines everywhere.

However, the actual population is about the same as the Nabre Kingdom. Maybe only a million or so more at best.

The road conditions are terrible, and when the weather warms up in the spring, the ground becomes muddy, and even carriages can’t pass freely.

Do you know what this means?

The internal affairs are a mess.

It’s big in size, but the population density is at the bottom, and the land is not properly managed.

They’re not using the vast resources and potential at all.

It’s easy to understand if you think of a computer with good hardware but messed up software. These guys have no hope unless they completely overhaul everything from the root.

“Please rest assured and wait, Your Majesty. Your Majesty’s generals will bring news of victory whenever the enemies attack.”

“Good. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

If they invade, they will suffer quite a bit.

The weather is cold, the supply lines are constantly stretched, and there are few houses to plunder.

They will suffer from disease and food shortages and will be crushed by the Artiom Empire’s army.

But if they invade, it’s fine.

Because they will have to bear all the above-mentioned adverse conditions.

Even if they send an army of 100,000, 30,000 will drop out on the way, and 40,000 of the rest will not be in condition to fight properly.

The remaining 30,000 will be half-wits suffering from lack of equipment and supplies.

Unless they suddenly have a great commander like Alexander the Great, defending the country is a piece of cake.

“Then the Minister of Foreign Affairs should prepare to send a letter of protest. So that those barbarians can know our firm will.”

“I will take immediate action.”

“I should also send a letter to those Hispania guys. Why are they standing still when the war is escalating like this?”

Hispania is weaker than it was in its prime, but it still boasts a powerful force. If they intervene, the war situation could become much more favorable.

The king clicked his tongue, saying he didn’t know why they were silent when they had a stake in the war.

“Could there be some unknown internal circumstances?”

“They’re giving up valuable territory because of that? I don’t think Hispania is such a clumsy country.”

Well, what does the detailed cause matter? What’s important is the phenomenon that appears on the surface.

“If they lack military supplies and can’t move their troops, tell them we’ll provide support. We urgently need their army right now.”

If Hispania attacks Helvetia, it can force the Republic into a two-front war.

Even if that’s not the case, if they send reinforcements, the immediate military difficulties will be resolved.

Either way, it was like welcome rain for the Nabre Kingdom. King Haribel VII actively tried to get them to participate in the war.

“Ah, and. There’s a popular slogan in the Helvetia region these days…..one people, one country, one leader, was it?”

“It’s nonsense from foolish guys. Your Majesty, please don’t pay attention to it.”

“No, I think it would be useful in our country. If we change the words slightly, there are elements that apply to our country as well.”

Still, it’s difficult to rely only on foreign countries, so we need to gather our own military power.

Coincidentally, the enemy country showed a good example, and it seemed worth using.

If we change only some of the expressions and slogans for propaganda, it might be useful in Nabre too?

“It doesn’t hurt to try, so have the scholars in the palace study it.”

“I understand.”

It’s a hit or miss. With such hasty thoughts, the king gave the order.

……Without knowing what kind of bomb he was about to accept.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, at the academy.

“Ah, I roughly understand. Your level. It’s so boring, I want to die.”

Ishmael was making the examiners’ heads into dduttyais with calculus and classical economics.