episode_0148

The imperial palace of the empire, Magnus Caelum, was never quiet with palace meetings held every day.

Even though the emperor had fallen, state affairs had to continue.

The main topic was, of course, the merits and demerits of the Einfeld subjugation war.

Even though Ernst, one of the parties involved in the matter, has not yet returned.

The head table, where only the emperor could sit, was empty, and Empress Isabella, sitting in the chair right next to it, led the meeting.

Perhaps because Ferdinand II’s death had become a fait accompli, he wore a black dress that resembled mourning clothes instead of a fancy formal robe.

Empress Isabella was smiling strangely. As if I had achieved what I had hoped for.

The ending of the subjugation war would not have been satisfactory even for Ernstians.

Prince Leopold and Marquis Ludwig were glaring coldly at her.

I was called in as a witness and one of the highest contributors.

Thanks to this, I had to wake up early in the morning, put on my uniform, and come to the imperial palace.

It is not wrong to say that he is the most meritorious person.

I was so busy fighting that I didn’t even have time to count, but I heard that the number of monsters I defeated alone was close to 1,500.

It was a number I couldn’t believe even after committing it.

It wasn’t just me who achieved this, it was thanks to the constant blessings and protection of the priests and Asha’s help.

The others also fought fiercely, so I benefited from the fact that the enemy was not focused on just one person, but was spread out here and there.

It wasn’t just people who dealt with bad guys.

Not only did he single-handedly defeat one grave predator, but he also dismembered dozens of mixed remains.

With the Fire Dragon Point, I sniped at the Whisperer, who was the core of the monster army, and blew him away with one blow.

Although it was closer to artillery fire than sniping.

In addition, in the melee that followed the western wall being breached, I was actually the only one who held on in one direction.

It was often said among Leopold’s troops that they would have been annihilated if it had not been for me.

—-

Most of the Ernst school’s nobles were institutional aristocrats.

A type of bureaucratic nobles who live close to the imperial family and regularly visit the imperial palace.

In other words, they were people who were much more familiar with documents and pens than with spear knives.

It is quite ironic that under Ernst, who was considered to have outstanding military talent, there were very few people who had actually experienced war.

It was natural that it was Isabella, not Ernst, who attracted them.

Most nobles who were military officers are rigid and stubborn.

As they have high self-esteem, they are difficult opponents for Isabella to corrupt.

At least, thanks to the fact that the emperor overtly supported Ernst and the fact that Ernst himself showed the qualities of a military commander from a young age, he succeeded in spreading his influence over the central army.

On the other hand, there were many local nobles in the 1st Prince faction.

Most of the supporting nobles, including Ludwig, the Eastern Margrave, were nobles who commanded their own fiefdoms in various regions.

The reasons why they supported Leopold were varied.

Those who are trying to drive out Isabella out of pure concern for the future of the empire.

Gamblers who calculated that they would have more to gain later if they took this side.

Even those who are displeased with the strengthening of the power of the imperial family due to the increase in the institutional nobility.

While Ernst implicitly sought centralization, Leopold did not seek to infringe on the rights and interests of local lords.

Leopold, whose power was weak to begin with, could not have done that.

Naturally, local lords, fearing that what they had would be taken away, gathered under Leopold.

Most of these people had experience fighting various enemies while ruling their territories.

With thieves, monsters, and sometimes other lords.

—-

The Ernst faction’s nobles criticized the 1st Prince, saying he went on a hasty campaign and caused enormous damage.

On the contrary, the Leopoldists emphasized the number and heterogeneity of the enemies and refuted that if left alone, the damage would have been many times greater.

Even as an Ernstian, I could not dismiss their claims as false.

I was there, and the Holy Legion also served as witnesses.

There was continued debate about Ernst’s actions.

It was the right strategy to carefully organize the troops and go out, but in the end, the troops and materials were wasted and the only result was to finish off hundreds of monsters.

The Ernst faction still showed condescension, saying that thanks to them, they had escaped the danger of being annihilated… .

If that’s the case, one day… No, there was nothing to say in response to the Leopoldist retort that the empire’s losses would have been drastically reduced if it had arrived just a few hours earlier.

It was a boring and noisy meeting.

After wasting hours on obvious stories, the conclusion was that they offset each other’s merits and mistakes.

It was an ambiguous ending for both Leopold and Ernst.

Although Leopold was considered to have some military qualities and had a reputation for subjugating thousands of commanding sects… Instead, a significant amount of power was lost.

Even if we ignore the imperial knights because they were not owned by Leopold, many of the knights sent by the lords who supported him also died.

In particular, the death of the two masters was a huge loss.

When the body of the master they had sent became impossible to find, the angry lords converted to the Ernst faction.

Since both were nobles powerful enough to have a master under their command, it was a sad matter for Leopold.

Ernst, you failed to achieve your goal of overthrowing Leopold… The great army that took such a long time to go on a campaign did not acquire even a single specialty of note.

He didn’t really lose anything, but it would be an awkward ending that didn’t really benefit him.

The Church of Elfinel also ended up exchanging fame for military power.

In the eyes of others, I was the only one who benefited greatly from this.

In the end, as many soldiers died in vain… It wasn’t a very satisfying ending for me.

—-

The long court meeting was interrupted for luncheon.

The afternoon meeting was scheduled to resume in three hours.

The nobles headed to the banquet hall in the main palace, but Leopold was not seen among them.

I visited Leopold, who was returning to the villa, and we walked together and talked.

Since Marquis Ludwig was visiting the Duke of Vienna, the only person heading to the villa was Leopold.

The prince’s guard knight and Nigel quietly followed behind us.

“For a gamble that risks one’s life, it must be a disappointing result.”

“It’s something that can’t be helped. If you gain one, you lose the other. In addition, since we have gained enough reputation through this incident, we will be able to gather back the forces we lost without difficulty.”

You can collect it again without difficulty?

Only then will we be able to attract at least the nobles who were paying attention.

Even so, wouldn’t it be difficult to recover from the deaths of thousands of troops in a short period of time?

Ah, the 3rd Corps’ losses were not their own in the first place.

Since it is not under your direct control and belongs to the central army of the empire anyway, it is up to the imperial army to restore it?

For someone who tried so hard to encourage him, his attitude is quite cold.

“What do you plan to do with the fallen soldiers of the 3rd Corps?”

“They fulfilled their duties courageously. So there must be sufficient compensation… . There is nothing I can do about the award or funeral since it is not something I can decide on my own, but I plan to pay three times the stipulated amount of compensation to the bereaved family, even if it means using my own money.”

“… You’re calmer than I thought.”

It was better not to say it, but a word of dissatisfaction escaped me without my knowledge.

Trying to solve everything with money and public affairs seems to be the same everywhere.

Leopold stopped walking and turned to face me.

With a dark complexion and a stern expression like a statue.

As expected, it was a mistake… .

“I have no choice but to be calm. A person who is reluctant to make sacrifices and stops his steps will never be able to achieve anything, so those in power must be cool-headed. Of course, their deaths are truly tragic, and I also feel profound sadness. But… In times like these, the lives of soldiers are inherently like that. There is nothing I can do about it.”

It was a surprisingly cold tone.

Are you talking to me, or are you saying it as a promise to yourself?

For me, it was still difficult to accept.

Even if you try to portray it as a virtue of a ruler, the essence of throwing away soldiers as sacrifices for your own throne has not changed.

Although the reason is not a desire for power, but one’s own survival and the future of the empire… .

Oh, I see.

I realized why I felt rejected by his words.

The cause of this discomfort was, for example, homophobia.

Leopold’s words strangely resembled mine.

Leopold is willing to make any sacrifices for the well-being of the empire and his own survival.

That image reflects my attitude of thinking that I had no choice but to make some sacrifices in order to prevent destruction and survive… There was no difference whatsoever.

The only difference is the scale of sacrifice.

“There’s nothing I can do… Is that so?”

Can not help it.

It’s something I’ve always lived with, but it’s something I don’t always want to admit.

I felt like those words were just an excuse for weakness.

“I thought the princess also knew. That’s what it means to stand on top of people. The higher you get, the further away you become from people.”

Leopold gave calm advice.

Again, I don’t know.

Would anything be different if I became stronger?

Break through all the obstacles that stand in your way… If you become strong enough to carry out my will.

Is it possible to get rid of this frustrating feeling that seems to be constricting one’s breathing?

There is still a long way to go.

—-

I did not participate in the afternoon meeting.