Ch.202Episode 11 – All Quiet on the Northern Front

# Upon entering the building, there was no shower of camera flashes. No welcoming crowd or praise from high-ranking officials either.

Similarly, they coolly skipped the tedious routine of detaining tired travelers with comments about their long journey.

I hadn’t expected such formalities anyway. Never wanted them either.

So, my first impression of the Military Government Headquarters wasn’t particularly bad.

However,

“…It’s cold?”

The interior was colder than I expected. Or more precisely, it was cool.

Of course, considering I wasn’t wearing clothes with warming magic and it was winter, this wasn’t particularly strange. Still, with the heating on, it should have been warm, so why did it feel cool?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Lucia, who had been attending to others around us, approached me.

“You seem sensitive to cold. Are you very cold?”

“It’s not that bad, but I do tend to feel the cold easily.”

“I see. Have this, then.”

Lucia offered me a bottle she was holding. It was glass, and judging by its warmth despite the cold weather, she must have been maintaining its temperature with holy power.

After warming myself briefly with the hot tea, a man in a suit who appeared to be a staff member came out to guide us deeper into the building, and we quickly found ourselves before the commanders of the Military Government.

Then,

“Welcome to the North.”

An elderly general greeted us with an expressionless face.

“I am Mikhail, Military Government Commander.”

## Episode 11 – All Quiet on the Northern Front

“Thank you for making the long journey. Please, be seated.”

General Mikhail, who had introduced himself as the Military Government Commander, politely offered us seats.

We had arrived at a conference room.

The room was darker than expected due to the blackout regulations. Commander Mikhail sat at the head of the dimly lit conference room, with numerous Imperial Army officers seated in a row to his right.

As people took their places at the long table, Commander Mikhail opened his mouth.

After checking his watch, he announced the start of the meeting with a composed face.

“On behalf of the Northern Military District, I sincerely thank all of you for attending today.”

Commander Mikhail added a bow after opening with this conventional expression.

It was a remarkably modest gesture for a general, especially a noble-born martial law commander, to show to people young enough to be his children.

Yet his expression and manner were too businesslike to be called warm.

After his brief greeting, Commander Mikhail went straight to the point.

“We need your help.”

At the commander’s gesture, soldiers standing behind him approached and placed documents on the table.

Papers were distributed to Camilla, Lucia, Francesca, as well as the Holy Knight Order, Magic Battalion, foreign military commanders, and myself.

Some people seemed slightly taken aback by the sudden distribution of documents. However, Commander Mikhail added, as if he had anticipated this reaction:

“I understand your bewilderment. However, you must be tired after traveling across the Empire, and given the urgency of the situation, I wish to conduct this meeting at a somewhat accelerated pace.”

Lucia, seated to the left of the Military Commander and relatively close to him, spoke up.

“I understand, Commander.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Holy Maiden.”

After this exchange between Lucia and Commander Mikhail, those who had been flustered suddenly fell silent.

After all, when both the Holy Maiden and the Martial Law Commander agree to skip the formalities and get straight to business so everyone can go to bed, who would object? Unless you want to get beaten with a scripture by the Holy Knight Commander, keeping quiet is the wisest choice.

Meanwhile, someone tactlessly began praising the Holy Maiden’s generosity and kind-heartedness, but they quickly shut up when Commander Mikhail gave them a look.

Having silenced the local chatter with just a glance, Commander Mikhail continued the meeting in a businesslike tone.

“While I believe most of you are already somewhat aware, I will briefly explain the current disturbance caused by the demon race.”

*

The explanation ended more quickly than expected. Whether it was because he didn’t want to reveal the specific details of the northern situation or simply due to time constraints, Commander Mikhail summarized the current state of affairs as concisely as possible.

“Four years ago, we received the first report of a demon attack on an outpost in the border region. Initially, we judged it to be a typical raiding attempt, but the reported number of demons was confirmed to be much larger than in previous cases.”

Demons breaking through the border area and gradually moving south.

“After the border guard’s report, villages and cities near the border began to be attacked one after another. Our military responded defensively according to plan, but we struggled against an enemy stronger than anticipated. Since then, the army has formed a defensive line along the Naroda Mountains and is currently engaged with the demon race.”

The Empire’s defensive line centered on the mountain range.

“Currently, much of the northern region is under the control of the Military Government, but the areas beyond the Naroda Mountains remain unrecovered. And even at this moment, demons and monsters from the frozen lands continue to invade along the mountain range.”

The lands the Empire has managed to protect and those it couldn’t, with demons and monsters infiltrating at every moment.

“Our military’s objective is to stabilize the northern situation and then advance northward at the earliest opportunity to recapture the unrecovered districts and regain our original border.”

Finally, the Imperial military’s plan.

I’d heard bits of this last part while visiting the Ministry of Defense, but the others seemed to be hearing it for the first time. Especially Lucia and Francesca.

Francesca appeared to have been tipped off by some dignitaries, but Lucia, who had little interest in politics or socializing, seemed to be hearing this for the first time today. Either the Inquisition hadn’t obtained this state secret, or they knew but didn’t tell her.

Of course, Camilla already knew. I had told her earlier.

“……”

“……”

Camilla, meeting my gaze, quietly turned her head to look forward.

After finishing his concise explanation, Commander Mikhail paused to take questions, and the interpreters moved busily.

Lucia and Francesca received the commander’s words through interpretation. Having understood the meaning from the beginning, I listened to Lieutenant Lyudmila’s double interpretation to review once more.

“Hmm….”

As I was lost in thought, Lucia, who had finished receiving the interpretation, questioned Commander Mikhail. Her refined Kiyen language, learned while serving Veronica before becoming a priestess, echoed through the quiet conference room.

“Then let me ask, Commander. Is stabilizing the North the Empire’s first priority?”

“For now, yes, Holy Maiden. Regional stabilization is currently the highest priority among the operations being carried out by the Military Government.”

Commander Mikhail affirmed.

However, his deliberate addition of qualifiers like “for now” and “currently” suggested that priorities could change at any time.

But Lucia, either unconcerned or not understanding the implication, continued her questioning.

“I’ve heard from the priests that you are making efforts to stabilize the North, Commander. What specific help do you need?”

“Considering the prolonged disturbance, the recent abnormal cold wave, and material shortages, assistance is needed in most areas. Military matters, of course, but administrative areas are no exception. Food, health, construction, industry….”

However.

Commander Mikhail added:

“All things considered, the area most in need of help is mana stone mining.”

“Mana stone mining?”

“Yes.”

Mana stones are one of the crucial resources supporting this world’s civilized society. In Earth terms, they hold a position similar to oil. Their actual uses aren’t that different from oil either.

Fuel, raw materials, heat sources, and so on. Many ships use mana stones as fuel, and airships that traverse the skies also run on mana stones. Moreover, high-quality mana stones can have their byproducts processed into magical products.

I don’t call them this world’s version of oil for nothing.

These mana stones are mostly produced through mining, and people call the mines where mana stones are found “rifts.” Incidentally, there are many on the Moritani continent.

As a side note, when Veronica was working as an Imperial Guard intelligence agent, she once went directly to a rift to obtain mana stones, prepared to be beheaded. That’s how essential mana stones are as a strategic resource.

And there are several rifts in the northern part of the Empire where high-quality mana stones are found.

At this point, Lucia slightly furrowed her brow. She quickly smoothed her expression, but I didn’t miss the narrowing of her brow.

Lucia, her expression relaxed again, spoke in a slightly subdued voice.

“You’re talking about rifts. I’ve heard there are several rifts in the northern region of the Empire.”

“That’s correct, Holy Maiden.”

“But Commander, is mining mana stones really a priority over other issues?”

She was asking why mana stone mining was the most important when there were many other problems. More bluntly, she was implying that they seemed to care more about mana stones than about people dying.

The Holy Knight sitting right next to me seemed slightly taken aback, but Lucia didn’t even glance in his direction, keeping her eyes fixed on Commander Mikhail.

“I believe there are more urgent issues. If you’re concerned about mining being slowed by demon attacks, wouldn’t it be a better solution to send troops to protect the rifts and the workers?”

Lucia’s admonishing tone toward the martial law commander was something ordinary people wouldn’t dare attempt, but

Commander Mikhail merely gazed at Lucia’s face with calm eyes.

“You’re not wrong.”

The commander began with a light affirmation.

“But with monsters driven south by the abnormal cold wave in search of food, and demons taking advantage of this to intensify their offensive, it’s difficult to divert troops from the front lines to guard the rifts.”

He was saying they couldn’t send troops there because if the front line broke, they’d be screwed.

“Of course, many people from the Empire and around the world have extended helping hands. You are those helping hands. However, after comprehensively considering the northern situation, I’ve determined that mana stone mining must take priority over other areas.”

“May I ask why you made that decision, Commander?”

“As you well know, Holy Maiden, mana stones are a strategic resource. Over the past few years, the Northern Military District’s forces have deployed numerous equipment while performing combat missions, consuming a large amount of mana stones in the process.”

This was a fact. According to intelligence gathered by the Royal Intelligence Agency, the Kiyen Empire’s mana stone reserves had been steadily declining since the conflict with the demon realm began.

The problem was,

“We can’t import mana stones anymore.”

“What?”

The countries in the Moritani continent that used to supply mana stones had collapsed.

Commander Mikhail briefly mentioned the Empire’s trade and industrial structure in a businesslike tone.

“Most of the Empire’s mana stones are imported from abroad. The mana stones from the northern rifts alone could satisfy domestic demand, but wartime is different. Fortunately, we were able to import quality mana stones from our allied nations. So even though mana stone consumption increased after the disturbance began, we were able to overcome this with the help of our allies. At least until our allies began facing significant difficulties.”

“……”

As I mentioned earlier, mana stones are a resource rivaling oil, perhaps even more important in this world than oil.

Imagine what happens to a non-oil-producing country at war when its oil imports are cut off. It’s screwed in an instant.

Of course, the Empire isn’t stupid, so they sent substantial aid to the allied nations (dictatorships) supplying mana stones. More precisely, they gave them several years’ worth of aid at once, promising to return when the northern situation stabilized.

But they all got destroyed.

As a result, the Empire now had to extract mana stones from the northern rifts by any means necessary.

“That’s why I said mana stone mining must be prioritized. We can hold out for now, but the future is uncertain.”

“……”

“Moreover, the rifts are military targets. If I were a demon, they would be my priority targets, and indeed, there have been several raids.”

Commander Mikhail calmly explained his country’s unstable situation. He was so composed that he almost seemed like someone who didn’t care whether the Empire survived or not.

Looking through the documents I had received, I found a military map marking the rifts in the north. Even accounting for the scale of the map, they were very close to the Naroda Mountains where the front line had formed.

“If the supply of mana stones decreases, everything in the North will come to a halt. Heating in medical facilities and shelters will stop, and supply vehicles heading to the front will stop too.”

“……”

“Of course, even the headquarters building where you are now is no exception. Perhaps the entire city of Novonikolayevsk might come to a standstill.”

Francesca, who had been silently listening to the commander’s explanation for a while, spoke up.

Though she was a civil servant from the Magic Tower, which wasn’t even recognized as a government by the Empire, no one would take her words lightly.

“Are you saying you’ll sacrifice the few for the many…?”

“Looking at the conclusion, yes.”

The commander said.

“Whether we pull troops from the front line to strengthen security at the rifts, or send troops to the front line and loosen security, the result is the same.”

Either the front line collapses under the demons’ offensive, or they run out of bullets and fuel first.

Both led to the same result: the front line would collapse.

Lucia seemed at a loss for words in the face of Commander Mikhail’s businesslike attitude.

She pressed her lips together and looked up at the ceiling, while Francesca lowered her head slightly with an expression that was hard to read—whether she was smiling or something else.

As the atmosphere deteriorated, others also kept their mouths shut and averted their gaze. It was unclear whether emotions had transferred to them, or if they were keeping quiet for fear of being scolded for interrupting a conversation between high-ranking officials. Of course, I too kept my mouth shut, being from Abas, which has poor diplomatic relations with Kiyen.

“Do you have any other questions?”

“I do.”

Camilla slightly raised her hand.

At her appearance, the eyebrows of Commander Mikhail, who had been sitting with an expressionless face throughout, moved.

“Yes, please speak, Hero.”

“So, do we all have to go protect this place called a rift?”

“Ah, no, that’s not the case. While mana stone mining is indeed a priority, there are many areas where your help is needed.”

Commander Mikhail asked us to look at a specific page in the documents. The page he mentioned listed the areas where the Church, Magic Tower, foreign military, and our party’s help was needed.

Among them, alongside strengthening security at the rifts for mana stone mining, the most important were:

Treatment of the injured and public health management.

Restoration of destroyed buildings and road networks.

“These two issues are urgent. Especially since winter began, hospitals have filled with patients suffering from illnesses like pneumonia.”

“Are there not enough hospital beds?”

“No, Holy Maiden. We’re severely short. So we’ve set up separate spaces in shelters for isolation.”

Hearing Commander Mikhail’s words, Lucia nodded with a sympathetic expression. The situation seemed much more serious than she had anticipated.

Lucia agreed to take charge of treating the injured. Apart from her being the Holy Maiden, the Relief Knight Order had also arrived, and she had previously worked as a healing priestess in the North, so this was a natural progression.

The next person to step forward was Francesca.

“In what ways do you need help with facility and road restoration, Commander?”

“First, we need to repair buildings destroyed by rampaging monsters. With the collapse of some buildings that functioned as shelters in several cities, refugee housing has become unstable. Moreover, as you get closer to the front line, the road network has been…”

Francesca volunteered to take charge of repairing damaged buildings and transportation networks.

Moreover,

“You said you need security personnel for the rifts?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll take that on too.”

Francesca stepped forward to handle the security of the rifts as well.

Her statement caused a stir in the conference hall. While some were pleased that a capable magician would handle a difficult task, others were dismayed, wondering what would happen to the front line if the Magic Battalion followed Francesca to the rear. Honestly, there were more of the latter.

But Francesca calmly reassured the trembling Imperial generals.

“For those who seem concerned, I should mention that I plan to use golems, so there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

“Ah, golems…”

“If it’s golems, certainly…”

Francesca looked at the generals with a confident smile.

Judging by the trust now visible in the generals’ eyes as they looked at her, her persuasion seemed to have succeeded to some extent.

After resolving what was expected to be the most difficult task, the rest proceeded smoothly.

The Holy Knight Order and Magic Battalion agreed to take on combat missions as previously agreed, and the foreign military contingents also agreed to perform various duties. Judging by the faces of the Military Government personnel, they didn’t seem to have high expectations for the foreign contingents, unlike the Holy Knight Order or Magic Battalion.

By the way, I recently heard from a Ministry of Land official that they lacked personnel to rebuild the northern infrastructure. Was she planning to take on this task from that moment?

I pondered Francesca’s background.

“……”

Francesca comes from the Economic Management Department of the Magic Tower Secretariat. Thanks to her Ranieri family background and prestigious university degree, she began her public service career in the Secretariat.

The Economic Management Department of the Secretariat handles matters related to “trade.” Exports, international cooperation, industrial development, and so on.

Incidentally, the Economic Management Department approves businesses that Magic Tower companies conduct externally.

Is Francesca truly acting out of goodwill to serve, or is she trying to secure reconstruction projects in advance?

Only she probably knows the answer, but I had a rough idea.

“Then the Holy Maiden will start from this city…”

“Our side will handle this area, and the Knight Order will…”

“We need to restore the rear road network first for smooth supplies…”

While the meeting participants were sketching a simple roadmap, I sat blankly in my chair, staring at the clock.

It’s not that I don’t care about saving people or think “why should I care about the lives of foreign citizens without voting rights.”

I simply had nothing to do.

“…Hmm.”

I’m a sort of filler.

As a foreign soldier, the Imperial Ministry of Defense won’t entrust me with important tasks, and indeed, many people at the working-level meeting hinted at this.

I don’t have any outstanding abilities to expect great results. Yet they’re hesitant to ask for simple help because I’m an Abas national.

It’s an awkward situation for both Kiyen and Abas. While the Military Intelligence Service might see this as an opportunity, ordinary soldiers worry about causing an international embarrassment if I make a mistake abroad.

So, quite naturally,

The Military Government won’t assign me any-

“…Frederick Nostrum, Military Attaché?”

“Ah, yes?”

While secretly grinning at the thought of becoming a salary thief and contemplating what report to submit to my company, I was suddenly called and responded reflexively.

Coming to my senses, I found several people in the conference room looking at me.

Sensing the situation, I quickly apologized and joined the meeting.

“Ah, sorry. What did you call me for?”

The Holy Knight sitting right next to me, half-risen from his chair, spoke to me.

“Could you possibly handle liaison duties?”

“What?”

Liaison?

“The Hero, Holy Maiden, and Alchemist will be operating in areas far apart from each other.”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

“We need someone to relay their news and information between them.”

“Are you asking me to do that?”

“Yes.”

Why me?

The words rose to my throat, but I swallowed them along with my saliva, fearing I’d be marked as an idiot if I spoke them.

Hiding my confusion, I asked the Holy Knight Commander who had made the proposal.

“But why entrust such an important task to me… What about the Military Government?”

“Reports will be made to the Imperial Army headquarters from various locations, but the reality is that there’s no proper way for them to communicate with each other. After all, our Order and the Magic Tower…”

“…Ah.”

So.

Since the Church and Magic Tower have an awkward relationship with lingering resentment,

Even for matters concerning Lucia and Francesca, there’s something uncomfortable about them contacting each other directly,

And they want me, a relatively neutral Abas national,

To serve as an intermediary liaison?

“I’ve heard you have good relationships with both of them. With the Hero as well, of course.”

“That’s… true…?”

“You seem to be the only one who can connect the three of them.”

“Is that… how it is…?”

“You’re comrades, aren’t you? Chosen by the oracle.”

“……”

Ugh,

What the,

…….

Ah, fuck it.

I stood up from my seat. Then, looking straight at the Holy Knight Commander, I said:

“Of course I should.”

“Thank you!”

With a smile on his face, the Holy Knight Commander grabbed my hand and thanked me.

Someone once said you can’t spit in a smiling face.

That’s bullshit.

I want to spit in his face right now.

“Leave it to me.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Fucking religious bastards.

This is why I don’t believe in religion.

*

After the meeting ended, we arrived at our assigned accommodations.

It was a magnificent, old-fashioned hotel that was originally used as temporary housing for civil servants and essential personnel working in the North who had lost their homes.

We were assigned this hotel as our lodging. We plan to stay for a few days before dispersing to our respective assigned areas.

By the way, I don’t know where the people who lived here went. I looked around but couldn’t see them, and I didn’t particularly want to know where they went either.

Anyway.

Having arrived at my assigned room, I sat on the sofa, gazing at the city shrouded in darkness.

“Words are truly frightening.”

“Why do you say that, sir?”

“They’re trying to saddle me with a thousand-nyang debt with just one word.”

“…Pardon?”

“Never mind. Forget it.”

I quietly clicked my tongue inwardly. Jake, checking the equipment we brought, was inspecting four radios.

“Ah, ah.”

-‘I can hear you.’

Pipin’s voice came through the radio. If I listened carefully, I could also hear Charnoi chattering beside Pipin.

Jake checked the status by exchanging radio communications with Pipin, who was in another room. I called out to Jake.

“Hey. If you’ve checked the radios, call Pipin and Charnoi over.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Pipin opened the door and entered. As it turned out, they had been assigned the room next door, so they weren’t that far away to begin with.

“You called for us?”

“Yeah. Come in and sit down.”

I quietly gathered Pipin, Jake, and Charnoi.

After closing the door, setting up equipment to prevent eavesdropping, checking that no one was in the corridor, and activating the equipment, we could finally talk with peace of mind.

Sitting on the sofa, I told my subordinates everything that had happened in the conference room.

“Hmm.”

Pipin, who had been concentrating on the story, opened his mouth.

“So you’ve been assigned liaison duties, sir?”

“Yes, the Holy Knight Commander suggested it first.”

“How did the Magic Tower react?”

“The Magic Battalion side seemed to welcome it too. I guess they’re also uncomfortable with the Holy Knight Order.”

“What about the Military Government?”

“They didn’t seem to have much of a reaction.”

“What?”

Pipin and Jake asked in surprise. Charnoi, who had been unwrapping a honey candy, was momentarily surprised but then popped the candy into his mouth, apparently deciding it wasn’t a big deal.

Jake, who was organizing the radios, posed a question.

“The Military Government? If it were me, I would never assign the Major as a liaison.”

“…How many punches do you want?”

“Well, it’s true, isn’t it?”

Pipin, who was listening to the conversation beside Jake, nodded.

“I think so too. Wouldn’t it be better to pick one of their own officers who knows foreign languages for liaison duties rather than a foreign soldier?”

“That’s certainly true.”

“Could there be some other intention?”

“I wonder…”

We don’t have specific information about the northern battle situation or the internal affairs of the Military Government.

While the Royal Intelligence Agency and Military Intelligence Service are trying to find out through various channels, it’s impossible to gauge on what basis the Military Government assigned me liaison duties. Even if we had the information, it’s questionable whether we could estimate the Military Government’s judgment.

What’s certain is this:

There are three people to cover, and I’m alone.

Even if I attend to them one by one, I can only give minimal attention to the other two during that time.

“Camilla, Lucia, and Francesca will each be active in different regions. Their areas probably won’t overlap.”

“Yes.”

“But I only have one body. Right?”

“That’s right?”

So I need people to work in my place. Like Francesca’s golems.

“You go.”

“I must have misheard?”

“I said you go instead of me.”

“……”

“What. Why. What.”

That evening, I acquired three bio-golems.