But he also agreed that before waging war, they had to deal with Rosimus I first.
It was a matter he understood. Even so, he had never once considered the idea
of wiping Tervia off the map. The duke turned his head, saw Theodore frozen stiff, and gave an awkward smile.
“That is only a manner of speaking. There is little chance it will come to that. Rosimus I is, in a word,
a jackal of a man. Weak before the strong, and endlessly strong before the weak… If my stratagem
succeeds, he will undoubtedly bring out even the troops he has hidden away. I guarantee it.”
“I can only hope it turns out that way.”
Theodore nodded as if he agreed. On the eve of a war on which the fate of humanity depended,
he could not understand Rosimus I’s ambition in coveting something like territorial expansion. For humans
to wage war among themselves before a great war was, in a word, surely an ill omen.
But for the sake of the great undertaking, there was no helping it. As if to shift the awkward mood,
Duke Ferstein changed the subject.
“What happened to the delegation going to Penslut? Have they departed?”
Theodore glanced once out the window and answered quietly.
“They completed the teleportation a short while ago, so they should have arrived by now and be receiving their welcome.”
“The king of Penslut is still a ruler who knows how to use his head. He will likely provide troops
without much objection.”
After speaking, Duke Ferstein turned his head.
“By the way, Krovitz, you should prepare to go to Tezeros as well. The consul has probably finished
all the preparations. It is a pity I will not have your protection for a while. Ah, I hear you are
taking the two new recruits who joined this time?”
“That is correct.”
“Have a safe journey. May fortune be with you.”
“Understood.”
Duke Ferstein left Krovitz behind and turned away. Outside the door, four Duke Knights unit commanders
who would replace Krovitz were surely waiting anxiously for the duke.
The Kingdom of Tervia, located in the southeastern part of the Crosen Empire, possessed the fertile Dorein Plain
and was therefore a considerably wealthy kingdom. It was said to have been founded by Count Pamirade,
the former commander of the Crosena Knights and the right hand of Emperor Crosen, and legends had been passed down
that in the early days of its founding, the Crosen Empire spared no support of any kind.
In other words, it had been founded at the same time as the Crosen Empire. Tervia possessed
such a long and venerable history, but regrettably, the current king, Rosimus I, was not a descendant
of its progenitor, Pamirade. Ever since Scofield I, the grandfather of Rosimus I, usurped the throne
through a coup d’état, his line had maintained its hold on the crown.
Scofield I had been a considerably wise ruler. To overcome the weakness of lacking legitimacy, he
repeatedly governed the people benevolently and paid careful attention to ties with neighboring nations.
Thus, he was able to completely erase the influence of the original owners, the Pamirade family,
and become Tervia’s new master. His successor, Scofield II—the father of Rosimus I—was also
a wise ruler who cherished his people. Because he encouraged commerce and properly reorganized the system,
Tervia’s national strength increased by leaps and bounds.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that thanks to these two rulers, Tervia was able to become a powerful nation.
The fact that it had grown wealthy and strong enough to catch up to Penslut and Tezeros
was entirely because of them. However, upon reaching the current ruler, Rosimus I, circumstances changed somewhat.
Rosimus I was an ambitious ruler born with belligerence and a lust for conquest. Even Tervia’s vast territory
did not satisfy him, and he was obsessed with expanding his lands. Because of this,
after Rosimus I ascended the throne, the people of Tervia had to endure dark years.
To maintain the army that had expanded dramatically, they had to pay heavy taxes, and healthy young men
were conscripted into the military almost by force.
In truth, Rosimus I had not ascended the throne through proper succession. His father, Scofield II,
had not chosen his eldest son, Rosimus I, as his heir. Instead, he had designated his third son,
Prince Guntus, whose nature was gentle and wise, as the next ruler.
He had realized early on that if the ambitious Rosimus I ascended the throne, the people of Tervia
would suffer terrible pain. But there was no way Rosimus I, the very incarnation of ambition,
would step aside meekly. Less than three days after his father passed away, he raised a rebellion.
He sent the private soldiers he had nurtured under his command into the palace on a large scale,
bringing about a bloody struggle between kin.
Because it was a rebellion of princes, Tervia’s Royal Guard Knights maintained strict neutrality. After repeated bloody battles,
Crown Prince Guntus ultimately lost his life at his brother’s hands, and the crown of Tezeros
at last fell into Rosimus I’s grasp. Thus began the misfortune of the people of Tervia.
After ascending the throne, Rosimus I began a large-scale military expansion program. All the costs that went into it
had to be borne by the people of Tervia. Those who opposed him were executed without mercy,
leaving no room for complaints to break out.
As a result, Tervia’s military strength increased dramatically. However, Rosimus I could not rashly begin
a war of conquest. This was because the kingdoms of Penslut and Tezeros, sensing danger,
formed an alliance with each other to keep Tervia in check. Although his military power had increased,
it was still beyond him to scheme against both kingdoms at once, so Rosimus I temporarily set aside his ambition
and bided his time, watching hungrily for the moment to launch a war of conquest.
For Rosimus I, the current situation—where the Crosen Empire could not turn its eyes outward
because of the power struggle between the emperor and Duke Ferstein—was an opportunity beyond compare. One day,
as Rosimus I was frenziedly preparing for war, an envoy from the Crosen Empire arrived at his palace.
Because of that, Rosimus I’s ambitions were in danger of turning to foam…
‘This is driving me mad. Of all people, they had to send this man…’
Rosimus I was now clutching his head. He had been so flustered that ever since seeing the envoy
from the Crosen Empire, his headache had not gone away. The reason was that the envoy dispatched from the Crosen Empire
was, to Rosimus I, someone who could be called his complete opposite. A warrior with a heart of iron,
one who would not be swayed by conciliation and would not so much as twitch an eyebrow at threats.
Because such a man had come as an envoy, Rosimus I was suffering from a headache. The envoy was
Marquis Williams, the commander-in-chief of the Crosen Knights. The leader of the strongest armed force in Arcadia
and the only Grand Master present in the human world was now speaking passionately, his round eyes filled with force.
“The Empire has decided to devote all its strength to the conquest of Truvenia. And His Highness Duke Ferstein
has personally decided to take command of the expeditionary army. In other words, the power struggle that shook the Empire
has now been completely resolved. Since everyone must become one for the conquest of Truvenia to succeed,
the consensus was that Tervia must also take part.”
Rosimus I, who had been frowning, answered as if offering consolation.
“I heard that a terrible event occurred in Pelzentin Central Square. I never dreamed that dragons,
the strongest race on earth, would do such a thing. Surely there must have been some
misunderstanding…”
Marquis Williams’s manner of speaking could be described in a word as direct. After all, he completely nullified
Rosimus I’s efforts to steer the topic elsewhere.
“The dragons’ objective is to completely annihilate humanity from the continent of Arcadia. There is only one way
to prevent our destruction. We must gather the strength of the continent of Arcadia in one place
and launch a preemptive strike.”
“B-but…”
Marquis Williams glared at Rosimus I with burning eyes.
“If the conquest of Truvenia fails, the people living in Arcadia will not be safe.
Of course, Tervia will be no exception. Do you believe the Kingdom of Tervia alone
can stop a vast army of orcs swarming like ants under the protection of dragons?”
“Mm. That would indeed be difficult.”
Rosimus I shook his head with a mournful expression. Though he was participating in the meeting,
he was inwardly thinking of something else. If a large number of troops were mobilized for the conquest of Truvenia,
the kingdoms of Arcadia would inevitably have weakened national defenses.
It could be said to be the perfect opportunity to seize the territories of Penslut and Tezeros,
the two kingdoms he had long been eyeing. Because of this, Rosimus I intended to invade
the two kingdoms without missing the chance. He had already made up his mind, and as part of that plan,
he had hidden one hundred thousand troops somewhere.
Therefore, for his plan to succeed, he had to reduce even slightly the number of troops drafted
from Tervia into the expeditionary army. As Rosimus I sank into thought, Marquis Williams’s voice
continued to ring in his ears.
“The conquest can only succeed if the various kingdoms support us with as many troops and supplies as possible.
Your Majesty, please support us with Tervia’s elite soldiers as well. Aside from the reserve forces
that will be responsible for the rear, we need all remaining divisions. The more, the better.”
Rosimus I recalled the number of troops he had calculated in advance for dispatch.
“The troops we possess, if counting only elites, number around two hundred thousand. Since we must defend
Tervia’s territory, I would like to leave around fifty thousand behind. I trust you will understand
that much. I will support you with all the remaining one hundred fifty thousand. If you insist
on even the remaining fifty thousand, then there is nothing I can do.”
As Rosimus I finished speaking, a cold smile appeared on Marquis Williams’s lips. It was the attitude
of someone who had expected the answer perfectly. Without a word, he took out an envelope.
It was an envelope that looked as though it contained some important confidential document.
“On my way here, I received this from the intelligence department. As Your Majesty knows,
there are two intelligence departments in our homeland. This document was received from the department under Duke Ferstein’s jurisdiction.
Inside were Tervia’s troop numbers and the troop movements over the past month. However,
the scale of Tervia’s forces that Your Majesty mentioned differs greatly from the documents. It seems you did not mention
the ten divisions stationed in the Talbot Mountains?”
The instant he heard those words, Rosimus I’s complexion turned deathly pale. He had never dreamed
that the fact he had hidden troops would be exposed so easily. Flustered, Rosimus I
was left at a loss, unable to decide what to do.
Duke Ferstein’s intelligence department was an organization with an astonishing information network. It was on a completely different level
from the intelligence department under the emperor, which had fallen into a nominal existence, and it possessed intelligence-gathering ability
that was, in name and reality, called the best on the continent. For all he knew,
Duke Ferstein’s agents were likely hiding even within each of Tervia’s divisions. There was no way
to root them out, leaving him unable to act, and now this had happened. Amazingly, Duke Ferstein’s intelligence department
had a clear grasp of Tervia’s military situation.
Even more astonishing was the fact that the intelligence department had provided information to Marquis Williams, who until now
had been in an adversarial relationship with them. Anger suddenly appeared on Rosimus I’s face. He had decided
to break through the difficult situation head-on.
“Are you trying to threaten me with confidential information you obtained from my country like a coward? I have endured
enough of this!”
He pretended to be angry to hide his agitation, but Marquis Williams did not twitch an eyebrow.
Was he not, from the very beginning, a man who had lost all sense of fear?
“There is no need to be angry. I am merely trying to handle matters properly. And
Duke Ferstein also said this.”
“Say it.”
“Among the rulers of Arcadia, there will surely be some jackal-like fellow who seeks to expand his territory
by taking advantage of the gap left after the expeditionary army departs. In order to wage war,
the rear must be secure. For the conquest of Truvenia to succeed, the mobilized soldiers
must be able to fight without worry. Therefore, to stabilize the rear, I will stop at nothing—
that is what he said.”
“What?”
Rosimus I’s face flushed bright red. Since he had been openly called a jackal-like fellow,
there was no way he could avoid becoming angry. Unable to control his emotions, Rosimus I sprang to his feet.
“Do you think you can say anything you like?”
His bristling beard trembled from how angry he was. The commander of Tervia’s Royal Guard Knights,
who was seated in attendance, tensed sharply and gripped the hilt of his sword. If an order was given,
he looked ready to charge at once.
However, when he saw the members of the Crosen Knights accompanying Marquis Williams calmly prepare for battle without wavering,
the strength left his body on its own. A total of fifty members of the Crosen Knights
were serving as Marquis Williams’s escort, and every last one of them was a Sword Master.
Even if the entire Tervian Royal Guard Knights attacked, there seemed to be no chance of overcoming them.
Knowing this, Marquis Williams maintained a leisurely posture and continued speaking.
“Why are you so angry? Duke Ferstein was not referring to Your Majesty. He merely said
there might be a jackal-like ruler who harbors the absurd notion of expanding his territory by taking advantage of chaotic times.
Could it be that Your Majesty is harboring such thoughts?”
“Grr…”
Rosimus I groaned and sat back down. Because of his overreaction, he had ended up
like a thief whose own guilty conscience gives him away. In the present situation, there was nothing to be gained
from losing his temper. Marquis Williams continued without hesitation.
“As you know, the scale of the deployments from the two kingdoms of Penslut and Tezeros will be decided
according to Your Majesty’s decision. They too will try to leave troops behind to defend their own countries.
In addition, our Empire will also leave behind a certain number of troops to deter civil war.
Since precious troops cannot be sent to the battlefield, it is no small loss. Therefore, I hope
Your Majesty will make a wise judgment.”
Rosimus I bit his lip hard. The other party had come not to negotiate, but to threaten him.
Just the fact that more than half of the distinguished Crosen Knights had come made that unmistakable.
However, he could not harbor other intentions. Since they had come fully prepared, there was no way
for Rosimus I to deal with them. Even if he mobilized all the Royal Guard Knights and palace guards
gathered here, it would still be beyond them. He could not completely silence them. Rosimus I
felt his strength drain away.
‘This was a mistake. I should not have allowed all of them into the audience hall…’
But there was nothing he could do.