2nd Floor of Weymouth City Hall, Regiment Commander’s Office.
Creak.
The closed door opened, and Sidney entered with stiff steps.
“You called for me.”
Her voice was laced with barbs. Her cool lavender eyes showed resentment without filter.
*Status Analysis.*
**[Name: Sidney Wellesley]**
**[Status: Betrayal, helplessness, misplaced resentment]**
**[Emotion: In the end, he used me thoroughly as a tool. Before the prestige of that great Imperial Army, our United Kingdom is nothing to him. I was foolish. What on earth did I expect from this man?]**
I pointed to the sofa.
“Have a seat, Director. Your legs will hurt if you stand.”
“I’ll hear what you have to say and leave. I’ve been terribly busy maintaining the ‘precious’ rear-area security for the Imperial Army’s vanguard, you see.”
She was venomous. I let out a short laugh and poured two glasses of whiskey.
“You’re quite angry about what happened at the official assembly.”
I pushed one glass across the desk as I spoke.
“There were many eyes watching in the conference hall, were there not? As an officer of the Empire, I could not go against the commanders’ sentiments.”
“Then here, does that mean there is no need to read the room?”
“Of course.”
I raised my whiskey glass, wetted my throat lightly, and cut straight to the chase.
“I will have the Exiled Government Forces participate in the operation. I will persuade the command to give you a chance to shed blood with honor in the process of recapturing Londinium.”
“……!”
Sidney’s lavender eyes shook greatly.
“Furthermore, the foremost spearhead advancing on Londinium. I will use my regimental authority to insert the Exiled Government Forces into the very spot my Jaeger Regiment will break through. I will let you set foot in the capital first.”
A brief silence.
Sidney steadied her breath and chewed over my words. A swift calculation befitting a Director of Intelligence.
“…Is that possible? Admiral Rüchel and the landing force command’s stance was firm. Even if the United Kingdom’s army stands at the vanguard, there is no way the command would approve….”
“Well, it is not that difficult. The command simply hates the sight of incompetents planting their spoons on a feast others have prepared. If I personally present the logic that I will use the Exiled Government Forces as bullet shields… no, as auxiliary forces, the commanders will not particularly refuse.”
*Just need to use [Captivating Oratory] a few times, and it’s possible.*
“Bullet shields, you say….”
Naturally, at my blatant choice of words, Sidney’s lips trembled.
But she did not refute it. It was a chance to reclaim the homeland. If they could only lead the charge, even the role of bullet shield was a godsend for the exiled government.
“…If your regiment vouches for it, Colonel, it may be politically possible.”
With this, the justification was settled.
“But a realistic problem still remains.”
Sidney pointed out sharply.
“Our Exiled Government Forces’ armament is thoroughly focused on infantry units. However, large-scale mobile warfare requires heavy weapons, armor, and transport vehicles. There is no way the Imperial Command would provide those….”
“They will not provide them.”
I said firmly.
“And that is strictly beyond my capacity.”
“Then just how are you telling us to stand at the vanguard….”
“The United States’ Lend-Lease Act. I heard the news that thanks to your exiled government’s hard lobbying, the bill will pass soon.”
Sidney’s expression hardened. Because I had seen through the exiled government’s diplomatic achievement that was close to top secret.
Lend-Lease.
It was one of the hottest topics currently in the Columbian United States Congress.
Originally, the politicians and populace there had adhered to thorough isolationism, vowing not to shed blood in the Old Continent’s war. As if to say, let them tear each other apart on foreign soil; so long as our front yard is peaceful, that is enough.
But do things in this world ever go as one wishes?
“Following the Republic, even the United Kingdom homeland fell to the Red Armbands. That wave of communization was sufficient to send a chill down the spines of the New Continent’s capitalists and politicians.”
As I broke the ice, Sidney nodded as well.
“…Yes, that is correct. Her Majesty the Queen also persistently hammered at that point. With the Empire stepping in to stop communization, what good is it for the Columbian United States of the New Continent to merely stand by? Fierce lobbying and diplomatic warfare went back and forth.”
Charlotte of the New Continent’s exiled government had not been idle. On the front lines, she formed an alliance with the Empire to establish a united front.
Behind the scenes, she lobbied the United States to find a way to arm her nation’s forces.
The result was this Lend-Lease Act.
A bill to lend, almost free of charge, the overwhelming quantities of weapons and supplies churned out by Columbian factories to the exiled government struggling with financial difficulties.
It was groundbreaking just to hear about.
“If the bill passes, even the hollow shell of the exiled government’s army could immediately possess firepower on par with the Imperial Army. But….”
Sidney narrowed her brow and continued. As if there was still an unresolved issue.
“But it will take at least several months for those supplies to cross the ocean. By then, the Imperial Army will have long since planted its flag in Londinium.”
The problem of the exiled government being sidelined remained as is. It was, literally, a mountain upon mountain of difficulties.
“That is where I can help you.”
“……?”
“Lieutenant Aiden. Come in.”
Bang.
Aiden Hunt, who had been waiting, entered the office carrying a thick briefcase. Aiden glanced at Sidney and grinned.
“Long time no see, Director.”
“Agent Arthur……?”
While Sidney started in surprise, Aiden opened the bag on my desk and took out bills of lading and contracts.
“Colonel, the matters you ordered are complete.”
Aiden began his briefing, flipping through the documents.
“We’ve activated all lines of paper companies and trade brokerage firms established within the United States. The lobby pipelines planted in Columbian political and financial circles have also been opened to maximum capacity.”
Of course, it was not on a grand scale. I had prepared them for money laundering and to do business in the United States later.
Somehow, they had become exactly what was needed for the current situation.
“Sternberg & Company has already leased entire civilian freight trains and transport convoys within the United States. Orders have already been placed at the factories.”
“What…?”
Sidney’s jaw dropped.
“And we’ve fed substantial sponsorship funds to Columbian Railroad Bureau executives and key stationmasters. The maritime side is the same as well.”
Naturally.
“You need not worry about inspections. Unlike the Empire, the United States is much more lenient in these matters.”
Though I call it “these matters,” in truth there is another crude name for it: bribery.
“The moment the Lend-Lease Act passes—no, starting three days before it passes—the supplies needed by the exiled government will begin transport. They’ll arrive within a fortnight at the earliest. If the exiled government chooses to cooperate with us, it can be done faster and on a larger scale.”
When Aiden’s briefing ended, a heavy silence fell over the office.
*Sip.*
In that silence, I lightly sipped my whiskey and observed Sidney’s reaction.
“……Arthur.”
Unexpectedly, her gaze first went to Aiden.
“Your skills honed at the Intelligence Bureau haven’t rusted. No, have they rather advanced by leaps and bounds?”
“You overpraise me, Director. It is merely thanks to the generous budget and foresight given by the Colonel. I have merely faithfully served as hands and feet.”
Aiden bowed his head lightly and answered politely.
But that polished attitude seemed to only further tangle Sidney’s emotions.
*Status Analysis.*
**[Name: Sidney Wellesley]**
**[Status: Shock, meticulous calculation, intense déjà vu and sense of defeat]**
**[Emotion: I knew Arthur was a capable agent, but to pull off that level of covert operations…. Colonel Jaeger’s financial power and behind-the-scenes planning elevated Arthur’s abilities to the extreme. Much more overwhelmingly than when he was under me….]**
For a meritocrat and perfectionist like her, the sight of her former subordinate spreading his wings after meeting another master caused considerable cognitive dissonance.
But she was not some third-rate who would succumb to petty jealousy or self-loathing.
“……Joining forces with our exiled government means.”
Sidney leaned over the desk and stared straight at me.
“You mean to fully link the diplomatic channels and secret agents the Intelligence Bureau has established within the United States, as well as the lists and authority of the pro-Queen lobbyists…… to the Colonel’s shell companies.”
“It makes conversation easy when your comprehension is high.”
I smirked and nodded.
“My capital and logistics network, combined with Director Wellesley’s intelligence network and the legitimate banner of the exiled government. If these two combine, within a fortnight transport ships loaded with military supplies can depart from the eastern ports of the United States.”
The moment those supplies arrive at Weymouth.
The exiled government forces, once merely an empty shell, would transform into an army equipped with considerable firepower and mobility.
The Empire, too, would reevaluate the exiled government’s capabilities.
Reactions would emerge saying that at that level, they could truly be placed at the vanguard.
I snapped my fingers.
“As a result, the ones to first set foot in Londinium will be the Exiled Government Forces and my Jaeger Regiment. Isn’t it quite a splendid picture?”
*Gulp.*
Sidney swallowed dryly.
Because one thing had not been breathed about, not even a word, throughout this long discussion.
“……What on earth do you want?”
The price for all of this.
Sidney’s lavender eyes trembled.