episode_0055

It’s been a while since I’ve been to the East, and this time I’m going to the West.

When I told him the news, my father touched his chin and said, “Hmm.”

“Hmm… It seems His Majesty has high expectations for you, Kael.”

“I’m worried that even this might be a test.”

“If it was a test, would you have sent Her Highness the Princess along?”

It was hard to find anything wrong with my father’s words.

Yeah, if this is for the purpose of testing loyalty, then accompanying them makes no sense.

Rather, it would be better to send it alone and secretly monitor the situation.

As my father said, this means that he expects me to be active again.

But the Emperor said clearly: The Princess should go to the consolation, and I should look beyond the western border.

Because you have something you want. Because you have something to think about. Isn’t that why you have something like that?

In other words, if we really want to be specific, this would be an observation of the emperor for the purpose of expectation and judgment.

“By the way, Kael, I heard that you will be given the title of General.”

I wonder if it was a bit ridiculous that I went east without any hat.

Or maybe the conclusion was that since he had achieved great things, he should find an appropriate place to put them to use.

Whatever it was, I received such an order from the Emperor along with the position of General.

‘I think he’s telling me to go to the West and work as a military staff officer if I have the chance.’

If the position of adjutant general was given by the emperor, there would be no reason for him to serve in the legion.

No matter where you are, no matter what corps you are in, you can voice your opinions and give advice.

My father thought it was a great honor, but I thought… honestly, it was a little scary.

I wonder how many times he was going to be used here and there, that he came down to this position.

I am not a member of any local imperial army. I am not a staff officer of any legion.

Doesn’t that mean you can just act wherever the Emperor commands you?

How far will the Empire’s scope of activity expand?

First the North. Then the East. Now the West and the South?

If this is the case, isn’t it almost like we’re aiming for continental unification?

“So. When do you plan on leaving?”

“It seems like it will be next week. If His Majesty the Emperor specifically mentioned Her Highness the Princess and me, doesn’t that mean the situation in the West is just as shaky as in the East?”

“… Probably, the probability is very high.”

My father, who had said that, held something out in front of me.

As I briefly examined the outside, I noticed that it had the Ministry of War seal on it.

“At first glance, it looks like very important information.”

“That’s right.”

“Can I see this?”

“Rather, Kael, you can look at it. Think about the position that His Majesty the Emperor has given you.”

Aha. That’s right. That’s right. It wasn’t even appointed by the commander of the legion, it was given to him by the emperor.

If this happens, it won’t be difficult to obtain the cooperation of the Ministry of War.

I’m just looking at the information you gave me, so it shouldn’t be a big deal.

‘I wonder what it contains.’

I check each and every piece of information my father gave me.

Each and every page of the document is filled with letters, numbers, and tables.

Read the contents carefully, memorize them in your head, and organize them in order.

Afterwards, I gave it back to my father, and he also confirmed it.

“Um.”

“If everything my father and I have read is true, then the situation beyond the actual western border may be even worse than we think. Father.”

“Probably so. There is a delay before information reaches the Empire.”

The Department of War, the Department of Special Affairs, and the Department of Foreign Affairs. Departments that are obsessed with gathering information.

It’s pretty believable since they set out to find out about the West.

And inside, it was full of things about the Kingdom of Dedorant, which had emerged as a new power.

[The third prince of Dedorant, Georg Sistania, seizes all power in Dedorant]

[ A group of excellent officers active in the military declared their support for the 3rd prince ]

[ King Dedorant. Officially designates the third prince as his successor. It is expected that this was done under pressure rather than voluntarily. ]

[ Military spending is rising. Military power is increasing. The number of troops has exceeded 100,000. Excluding the forces reserved for defense, these are troops that can be mobilized for pure offense. ]

Last time, my father explained to me that beyond the western border, Dedorant is rising rapidly.

At the center of it all are the three princes who swept the nation’s popularity with their outstanding military achievements.

The crown prince has already been removed. In that situation, it is natural for the three princes to become the center of power.

It was the same when the King of Dedorant wept bitterly and nominated his third son as the next king.

Up to this point, since we had heard about it at the time, even if we didn’t have the information, we could have easily predicted it.

‘The problem is that Dedorant’s military growth is unusual.’

It is said that there are over 100,000 troops, excluding those deployed for defense.

If they were just ordinary conscripts, there’s nothing to worry about. They’d just be a rabble, despite their large numbers.

But Dedorant is different. They are a military power recognized even in the Empire.

There have been several incidents that have shaken the western part of the continent, and they are still ongoing.

If the offensive force of such a country is at that level, even the empire cannot relax.

But the problem is that it doesn’t end here.

Rather, it could be said that the real trouble was just beginning.

[ Possible merger of Atria ]

Beyond the western borders of the Empire, several kingdoms have established themselves.

Among them, there are four countries that lead the order in the West.

This time, the noisy Dedorant. DeGalle is getting hit hard by them.

Los Tanica, who was watching the situation from the side.

Finally, to Atria, which sits above Dedorant.

There are other countries, but… in fact, they are kingdoms, but they are only half-subjugated, so let’s skip them.

Anyway, during that time, the possibility of Dedorant merging Atria was raised.

The reason the word annexation, rather than conquest or vassalage, appears is probably because of royal relations.

Dedorant and Atria are distant relatives from the royal family, but they are definitely related.

They say that they were quite close because they had many similarities.

But half a year ago, Crown Prince Atria died suddenly.

Not long after, even the king passed away.

The two most important figures in the monarchy disappeared in an instant.

With no suitable successor, Atria immediately fell into chaos.

“Kael. If Dedorant really wants to merge, how do you think Atria will react?”

“The nobles may object, but in fact, the people of the kingdom will not show much resistance. To begin with, Dedorant had a relatively good relationship with Atria.”

And honestly, the backlash from the nobles? That could be dealt with in one fell swoop.

“There, Dedorantya, you can take care of some of the nobles of Atria as an example and distribute their land and property to the people of the Kingdom of Atria. If you do that, you can win the hearts of the people in one go.”

“That’s what my father thinks too. He’ll definitely do that.”

The information gathered from the three departments only discusses possibilities, but they must have expected it as well.

It’s not certain yet, but given the circumstances, it’s almost certain that a merger will occur.

However, from Dedorant’s perspective, it is clear that they are taking a breather for a moment to see how their country, Atria, and surrounding countries will react.

[Degale and Los Tanica declare alliance in existing non-aggression pact due to Dedorant’s rise]

If Dedorant grows like this, the country that will naturally be terrified is Dagale.

We have fought countless wars with Dedorant and have even inflicted bitter defeats on them.

No matter how positive a person is, the relationship between the two cannot be said to be good.

From Degal’s perspective, Dedorant, which is almost an obvious enemy, is growing like crazy?

‘I probably won’t be able to sleep well at night. My dreams will only be nightmares.’

So the solution they came up with was to form an alliance with the neighboring nation of Los Tanica.

If the two kingdoms join hands, they can more than handle Dedorant.

However, if there is a problem… .

“We can deal with the current Dedorant, but if we absorb Atria, things will be different.”

“Dugalle and Los Tanica are also kingdoms known for their military power in the western part of the continent. So you’re saying there will be a problem?”

“I already heard that Degalle has taken over the Jugel region. The most important place.”

Dedorant and the three princes there called for the liberation of the Deo people in the Jugel region.

This place originally belonged to Dedorant, so he took it by force, semi-forcibly.

But that was just an excuse, the reality was that he was coveting the utility of that place.

The Jugel region was a kind of buffer zone for DeGalle and a defensive line to block the DeGalle mainland.

For that reason, several military facilities were concentrated here, and this one was completely taken over.

There is no way that the DeGalle royal family can remain unshaken. The nobles. And the people of the kingdom.

‘War is a battle of momentum. To begin with, DeGalle had no advantage, and if he was pushed back in momentum, he would have already lost more than half the battle.’

The original planned defensive line has already collapsed and morale is at rock bottom.

If Dedorant eats Atria and grows in size here, Degaler will also be in danger.

Then naturally, Los Tanica will also be thrown into Dedrant’s mouth.

[ Dedorant. He states that he has no intention of going against the order of the empire that exists on the continent ]

This is the problem. Is this sincere? Or is it a lie to get away with it for a moment?

What Dedorant would fear most right now would be the intervention of our empire.

If a nation too powerful appears in one place, the order established by the empire is shaken.

It is obvious that they will try to become a new empire, so it is right to block them in advance.

That is why our empire maintains a vast army of 400,000 men.

“If the Empire starts to project its power, it will be more than a burden to Dedorant, who is just starting to sort things out internally. That is why they are bowing down publicly.”

“Or maybe it’s just a pretense. So, perhaps His Majesty has appointed you, Kael, to the task of investigating that Dedorant.”

I’m talking about you, who has been the most active recently.

I couldn’t help but sigh and drool at my father’s last words.

I’m neither a diplomat nor a spy, but honestly, this is a very difficult mission.

In the end, I too have no choice but to rely on information coming from across the border.

I wonder if I can do it well. All kinds of worries are already coming in.