episode_0062

“… .”

6 a.m. I always wake up at this time, a pattern that has become ingrained in me.

Make up your bed, take a quick shower, and change into comfortable clothes.

Then, after some simple stretching, I start running lightly.

“Hoo.”

Our Klauwitz family has been active in the military for generations.

Accordingly, it was natural that he would become obsessed with training his own body.

Even though I have absolutely no connection to martial arts, I still work out regularly.

Sometimes it’s annoying. I just want to throw it away and sleep in a little more.

But now it’s almost become a habit, or a custom, so it feels weird not to do it.

Plus, this regular activity has helped me get through many of the tough times I’ve had.

When receiving basic military training or when directly joining the army and following the corps.

Things that would have terrified and exhausted other children of noble families.

I could really get over them without any problems.

“Hoooo… .”

After running until you start to sweat a little, take a few deep breaths to catch your breath.

If I let it go like this, my head seems to stay clear all day.

If I, a non-physical person, am like this, then it seems that my family’s blood is definitely thick.

I look around for a moment, and a very familiar face waves from afar.

“Kael!”

“Your Highness the Princess?”

That’s unexpected. I didn’t know the princess would be awake at this early hour.

He doesn’t even look drowsy. He looks no different than usual.

I thought he lived a life of leisure as a noble member of the royal family, but I guess that wasn’t the case.

“What are you so surprised about?”

“I didn’t know I would see you this early.”

“Huh? All this time with me… Oh. Right. Now that I think about it, we always stayed in different places.”

It was like that in the North and East, and when I headed West, I ended up staying in a nearby place.

However, this has never happened before as I was immediately reassigned to the south after only staying for a few days.

So this was the first time I had encountered the princess in the morning.

“Did you really think that a princess would sleep in and just take it easy? On the contrary, being a member of the royal family, her daily schedule is even more razor-sharp.”

“… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t take it too seriously. I’m just saying that I’m working hard like everyone else. I’m not just someone who was born with good blood.”

Hehe, the princess laughed, glanced at me, and then suddenly made a strange expression.

Then he clears his throat and looks me over again.

“Your Majesty?”

“I didn’t know until now. Kael is also a member of the Klauwitz family.”

“Yes?”

“It’s nothing. Um, um. Well… Um, this is.”

The princess keeps making strange gestures. I wonder why she’s doing that.

Then, soon, I realized, “Ah,” and why he kept reacting so strangely.

You’ll be moving your body enough to sweat a little, so wear clothes that are reasonably comfortable.

Also, because this place is in the south, it was a bit hotter than where I used to live.

For that reason, my body unintentionally became a bit exaggerated.

“Ah. I apologize, Your Majesty. If I made you uncomfortable… .”

“What inconvenience! It’s not just good!”

The princess suddenly started waving her hands wildly in the air. Her face was quite red, and she seemed embarrassed.

There’s no need to mention that part here, so I’ll just keep my mouth shut.

“… Hey, Kael.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Would you like me to call you by your name?”

For a moment I thought I had heard something wrong.

On the contrary, if I had heard correctly, I should have suspected that the princess was not fully awake.

Which crazy nobleman would dare to call the name of a member of the royal family, and especially the name of the princess?

It is an absolutely rude act that only a non-member of the same royal family can commit.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“Even if the person concerned says it’s okay?”

“I’m sorry, but there are strict laws of the empire and the royal family.”

“Fit.”

It’s not okay to show such cute grumbling.

Who knows, maybe this will reach His Majesty the Emperor’s ears?

I might get my hatred kicked that day. I’m sure I will.

They said that this guy became arrogant after they gave him some credit for being a genius bookseller or something.

“You had a schedule to visit each southern corps today, right?”

“Yes. It looks like I’ll be very busy starting in the morning. What about Kael?”

“I think I will be gathering with the Marquis and other nobles today to check on the situation in the south.”

“We both have a hard time.”

For a while, the two of us just looked at each other without saying anything.

Then, at some point, as if they had made a promise, they opened their mouths again at the same time.

“Cheer up.”

“Cheer up.”

It’s just that the words are slightly different, but in reality it’s the same thing.

At that, the two of us both let out another ‘Ah!’

“Phehe. We’ve been together since the north, so now we’re getting along well.”

“Half a year has passed in a flash, and a little more will pass and it will be a year.”

Really. When I came to my senses at some point, time had passed like that.

It feels like only about a month has passed.

“I think I will be indebted to Kael a lot in the future.”

“I think I will receive more help from Her Highness the Princess than I thought.”

The mission the Emperor gave to both of us was actually the same.

Each serves as a focal point for boosting the morale of the Imperial Legions.

“From now on, we―”

“―Let’s try hard.”

Due to various unexpected events, I felt a little tired and burdened.

It felt like everything had disappeared as they were having that strange conversation with the princess.

Yes. Today too, and in the future too. Let’s do our best.

*

The pleasant morning didn’t even last an hour.

The moment I entered the conference room with those who suddenly came to find me and the princess.

Because the moment I heard that ridiculous news there, everything fell apart.

[ Dedorant. Dagale full-scale attack ]

[ Large-scale rotation occurs. DeGalley is defeated, and the western territory is completely lost ]

‘… This is really fucking annoying.’

Crazy guys. Crazy guys. Really great guys in so many ways.

By annexing Atria, we have turned all of our empire’s attention to it.

After swallowing up the Jugel region, it seemed like he wouldn’t pressure DeGalle anymore.

So you attacked like a storm in an instant and devoured the west of DeGalle?

Before the Empire could do anything, so suddenly??

“Is this possible?”

I wasn’t the only one who was taken aback by this news.

The princess also kept sighing and looked at Marquis Lylas and the legion commanders.

“We are also quite embarrassed at the moment, Your Highness.”

“I never thought DeGalle would collapse this quickly… .”

The Imperial Legion Commanders are not just there to play politics and curry favor.

While these are necessary, they must also possess the essential qualities of a commander.

The military acumen of the legion commanders is almost at the highest level in the empire.

That’s why I intervened only to the extent necessary throughout the Eastern Front and left the rest to the legion commander.

Even those commanders are unable to hide their bewilderment at the news they just heard.

“The DeGalle Army is not weak, so is this possible?”

“The commanders of the western legions must be feeling the fire under their feet. They must increase the capabilities of the Dedorant Army by more than they are now.”

“I knew Deodorant was strong, but it was this strong… .”

Current situation. All land routes between the Empire and D’Galle and Los Tanica have been severed.

Benito, who had maintained a close relationship with Dedorant despite having no particular connection, was finally in a position where these two kingdoms could join hands directly.

And that Benito is organizing the Holy See with a frightening momentum.

Furthermore, it is threatening even the southern kingdoms that are showing very passive movements.

“This makes things even more awkward.”

“We have to somehow put the brakes on Benito’s solo run. If by any chance Dedrant makes a fuss there… .”

“Is that really so? I heard that Dedorant bowed down completely to our empire.”

“The question is whether you can believe it. Look. Didn’t they just take the Jugel region from Degalle and then hit him in the back of the head again and swallow up the west? ”

The meeting of nobles and legion commanders continues in a rather heavy atmosphere.

As I was looking at it, these words came out of my mouth without me realizing it.

“… In the end, it turns out like this.”

“Kael?”

“Prince Kael?”

No. It’s not like you guys were just looking at me like you were waiting for me.

“Actually, I and others in the West expected that Dedorant could come out at any time. However… I didn’t know it would happen this quickly.”

Is Dedorant stronger than you imagine?

Or maybe DeGalle was more retarded than expected.

Maybe it’s both. That’s the most likely.

“Let’s put the West aside for a moment and focus on the situation in the South.”

“Yes, Prince Kael. The two corps that departed from the east will enter the south within the next month. If so, I will give them the defense near the border and the southern corps will prepare to advance.”

It appears that the imperial leadership has finally made a decision.

There are two reasons for this: excommunication and a holy war. Let’s get started with these first.

Even if it meant carrying the stigma of being an ’empire that never tolerates the growth of other kingdoms’.

Even if it was an act of pouring ice water on the pro-imperial tendencies of the southern kingdoms that had been hard to build.

We must prevent Benito from becoming the leader of the South and completely swallowing up the Holy Nation.

In any case, Benito’s military power is nothing compared to the empire.

They may be numerous, but they can never catch up with the Imperial Legion in actual combat.

It is said that some people were sent to Baron Dedorant as mercenaries.

But that alone won’t be enough to exert much power right away.

‘Why the Empire. Novogord. And Dedorant, because they are military powers. It’s because they’ve fought so many real battles. In that sense, Benito… no matter how well he’s treated, he’s second-rate.’

The imperial leadership probably had similar thoughts and predictions as I did.

So, I’m expecting that if we threaten him appropriately, Benito will fold on his own.

Of course I think so too. To be honest, if you have thoughts, you should do so unconditionally.

How can you hold out when the imperial legions say, ‘If you don’t back down now, you’ll really get killed?’

Even if the opponent is Novogord, he will have no choice but to retreat with a sour taste in his mouth.

*

[ Benito. Declares war on the Empire ]

“… ?”

The emperor of the empire too.

“… ??”

Experts from the Foreign Ministry and the War Department, too.

“… Huh?”

And Kael too.

Everyone started to think the same way.

‘These things. Are they maybe crippled?’