Chapter 263: Distant Reports |
On that day, a female civil officer arrived at the Quordenze residence in the Royal Capital Levios.
Her name is Leda. She is one of the civil officers who mainly works in departments related to noble diplomacy, and has visited the Royal Capital several times.
[Aren’t you Leda? Why are you here today?]
When she entered the mansion, a high-ranking official that she is acquainted with called out to her. She decided it was a convenient chance and gave a short answer on the spot.
[There is a report from the military for Master.]
Even as a Lord-class, Levios territory is far from Quordenze territory. This is not just because of the distance, but also because it takes time and effort to pass through the noble territories that exist in between territories.
This is related to why Leda, a civil officer, was chosen to convey the information even though it was military information. When thinking about passing through other territories, people who were good at diplomacy were more convenient in many ways.
The high-ranking official instantly understood the circumstances under which Leda was sent and immediately ushered her into the back room.
[Then, Leda, begin your report.]
However, she must not hesitate to announce the important matter of Quordenze. She dared herself to speak.
[Grandmaster-sama has withdrawn from the frontline.]
The onset of Galfis’s magic power malfunction and the sudden offensive by Spierzeig’s army that began from there were truly nightmarish events.
Leda was a little relieved that she was able to report without hesitation until the end. She was inwardly frightened by the deadly stares of the high-ranking officials.
[How is…]
Even though measures have been taken to prevent eavesdropping, the contents cannot be said out loud. One of the knights waiting in the room could only burst out for words.
The other high-ranking officials were also astonished by the amount of information Leda had brought to them, and were unable to open their mouths.
[…Only this far, huh.]
It was a small murmur that seemed to disappear along the silence.
Luxus looked down a little, but when he realized that he had attracted the attention of the room, he waved his palm lightly as if to say, [It’s nothing]. He then asked those around him for their opinions on the report.
[How is Newnelly moving?]
A high-ranking official asked Leda a question. But, she couldn’t answer that.
[The next report is scheduled to arrive soon. We felt the need to inform Master about this first.]
As soon as the bad news reached Newnelly City from the front lines, Leda was sent to the Royal Capital. It was decided that it was necessary to send the first report first, rather than waiting until Wilk and the others had decided on a response plan.
[Let’s begin preparations for return while waiting for further news.]
One of the high-ranking officials advised Luxus. As the current situation becomes like this, they are currently not in a good situation where they can continue socializing in the Royal Capital. Those who stayed inside the room also agreed with this suggestion.
[Considering the number of days it will take for Leda to arrive here, it is highly likely that reinforcements from Newnelly have already arrived at Reisleaf Castle. It is currently unknown whether Young Master will also be going to the frontline, but in any case, we need to hurry back to Newnelly and solidify our future policy.]
After receiving the opinions of his subordinates, Luxus spoke with a grim expression on his face.
[…Wilk is a smart kid.]
Luxus couldn’t tell what his son was thinking, but he’d like to think that his son would basically act like an “honour student”. The reason he couldn’t honestly say that Wilk is excellent is because the many eccentricities that his son committed up until now are running through his mind.
[Not only does he have the ability to listen to what those around him say, but he also has the courage he showed during Operation Serpent’s Fang. He won’t put off bringing reinforcements to Reisleaf.]
Luxus recalled Wilk’s actions so far.
Although his aggressive behavior stands out, he has a tendency to proceed obediently if you explain the reasoning and show him the way. Unless he is very particular about it, he tends to follow the words of his predecessors in areas he doesn’t understand. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the advice of knights and military officers left behind in Newnelly will be accepted as is.
Wilk was on his way to reinforce Reisleaf, that was the conclusion Luxus had come to.
[In that case, we have to think about the future.]
Reinforcements may not arrive in time, and their defeat may be so great that they will be forced to abandon Reisleaf Castle. Even if that’s not the case, it’s certain that everyone’s opinion at Quordenze will change once they retreat from Reisleaf Castle. Galfis’s aging became public, and the weakening of Quordenze became known to the world.
There is no doubt that in the future noble diplomacy will be centered on Quordenze and Spierzeig. Luxus wanted to prepare the ground before leaving the capital so that he could deal with both the pattern of protecting Reisleaf Castle and the pattern of abandoning it.
[Proceed with preparations for our return. Please send a warning so that our movement between territories will be expedited.]
[Understood. We’ll send messengers right away]
Currently, Luxus had enough military power to easily take down one or two weak cities.
It is also possible to press them by saying, [I need to get back to my territory quickly, so please allow me to pass right away]. However, this would not only cause trouble, but also give a strong impression that the Quordenze family was in a disadvantageous situation. Considering the future, this is a completely bad move.
The efficiency of movement will be completely different depending on whether advance notice is given or not. The high-ranking officials who responded with their Master command began to quietly calculate in their head on which civil officer to send to which territory.
[First of all, we must decide on a temporary policy at this time. After that, tomorrow we will go to the castle and give a warm greeting for our return. As soon as we confirm the second report, we will depart from the capital.]
Luxus’ thought that some measures should be taken against the nobles who were participating in the socializing. The news of the defeat of the Quordenze army would have a huge impact. He wanted to minimize the possibility that it would be taken more seriously than it actually was.
In order to show other families that the Quordenze has not wavered, it would be necessary to establish at least a certain direction.
[Start taking action. I will continue to consider our situation from here on.]
Following Luxus’ instructions, the high-ranking officials began to move all at once.
Some people rush out of the room to select civil officers as emissaries, while others remain and participate in policy review meetings.
There is no doubt that a fierce battle was going on in Reisleaf even while they were doing this. Luxus prayed for the safety of his father and son, and began holding discussions with senior officials on the topic of foreign policy.
============
Even by the morning of the next day, no one had arrived to report the second report.
Luxus stayed up all night and went to the castle, came into contact with several nobles, and returned before dusk.
[Has it not arrived yet?]
Those who remained in the mansion broke into a cold sweat at their Master’s irritated question.
In the current state, they didn’t even know if it’s taking time to decide on a policy in Newnelly, or if Leda’s move just happened to go smoothly.
It was after the sun had completely set that the two messengers arrived at the Quordenze residence, which was filled with a chilly and unpleasant atmosphere.
[Go inside!]
The two were immediately ushered into the mansion by a high-ranking official who was waiting for them and asked to deliver the report immediately.
The messenger role this time was a combination of civil and military officers. The civil officer seemed to be support personnel for the movement between the territories, and only the military officer stepped forward and began reporting.
[I have a report. Young Master has decided to launch a surprise attack on the northern part of the Voistra Plains in order to rescue General Galfis.]
Everybody thought that he would report something along the lines of “Young Master has departed to reinforce Reisleaf Castle”. Everyone was unable to react to the completely unexpected report. They were speechless but in a different way than when Leda was reporting.
[The name of the operation is Snake’s Jaw.]
The military officer continued to report, ignoring the high-ranking officials who kept silent.
Opening the road on the Arknoa Contaminated Area with purification magic, cross the Amelia River with a fleet from Nambonan City, and assault Weldburg City. Then, with the Blessed Children lurking in Weldburg Field, they launched an offensive attack against both Reisleaf and Othelloria.
The primary goal was to threaten the rear of the Kindlor’s army and force them to give up on conquering Reisleaf, but if that fails, the strategy was to focus on securing Weldburg City as a beachhead for the invasion. In that case, Reisleaf Castle’s important role will be cut down.
Spierzeig’s army was limited to capturing Reisleaf, and did not have the strength to move north from there. Wilk has decided that even if he loses his face in public, there will be no problem if Reisleaf Castle gets recaptured by the enemy. Of course, the complete success of Operation Snake’s Jaw was to prevent the recapture of Reisleaf by the enemy and secure Weldburg City. By the way, if they failed to capture Weldburg City, the plan was to return to the inland area and safely go to the outside area to rescue Reisleaf.
That was the strategy Operation Snake’s Jaw that was explained to the military officer at the time of Newnelly’s departure.
However, after entering Spierzeig territory, Wilk learned that Magnis’ army was also participating in the capture of Reisleaf, and confirmed with his own eyes that the northern part of Voistra was empty, so he made some changes from his original policy. However, this military officer was not fully informed with the current situation on the frontline.
[…These are the details of the operation.]
Far from being hesitant about providing reinforcements to Reisleaf, Wilk was completely determined to kill the enemy. Luxus couldn’t help but hold his head.
He had a bad feeling about this.
What came to Luxus’ mind was the commotion about the appearance of a demonic beast at the Royal Capital’s social gathering in May. At that time, Wilk rushed out of the Royal Castle to subjugate the demon beast, but Luxus immediately regretted giving permission.
If he had known the characteristics of the Demon Beast Calamitis in advance, he would have ordered Wilk to stand by. However, by the time he received that information, Wilk had finished his speech in front of the Kingdom’s nobles. It was difficult to withdraw in that condition.
[Could you please stop…]
This time too, Luxus was filled with the desire to hold Wilk back.
It’s not just because it’s dangerous.
Luxus had set up a provisional policy based on the premise that the Reisleaf defense battle would take place. If Wilk were to make a surprise attack here, the way he would make follow up would also change. At the very least, most of Luxus’ social interactions today have become meaningless.
However, since there was no way to stop Wilk from the capital from the beginning, there was nothing he could do about it.
[…It was a wise decision not to give out unnecessary information.]
The fact that only the minimum necessary policies were decided was a success. Since the other families had only hinted at the level of “there is a change in frontline”, it was still possible to correct the course now.
[Should we make a story based on a surprise attack… No, but there’s a 50/50 chance that the enemy’s main force will retreat. Will we be able to secure Weldburg City in the first place? And with the Blessed Twins…]
Luxus was unable to organize his thoughts due to all the uncertainties. There was no definitive material on how to decide on a policy.
[They’ll pave the way with purification magic…Whether they win or lose, it will become clear.]
There was a part of him that thought Wilk would make it public on his own discretion, but Luxus thought that once the Quordenze army retreated, he would have no choice but to use the purification magic as a diplomatic card. In that case, it might be more efficient to have them advertise more extensively.
At the very least, purifying the Arknoa Contaminated Area on the Quordenze side before marching needs to be successful. If they were able to reach Weldburg City, the impact would be even greater. This is because it doubly proves the existence and usefulness of purification magic.
It should be of great help in diplomacy with the Adellahan family, which neighbors the Mist Land, and the Zeldomitra family, which has many contaminated areas. In terms of purifying corrupted soil, it may also have some effect on the poison of the unclean sword that still torments King Levios. It can be used as a bargaining chip.
However, Luxus quickly changed his mind.
[…No, first of all, should I return to Newnelly? It’s better not to make any further decisions in the Royal Capital.]
Can they really conquer the Arknoa Contaminated Zone? Can they cross the Amelia River? Can they capture Weldburg City? Can they take in the Blessed Childs? Can they put pressure on Reisleaf? Can they force Kindlor’s army to withdraw? Will the strategy be successful or will it be a setback? If it fails, at what stage did they give up, and what will they do after they give up?
Depending on Wilk’s judgment, the possibilities branch out into multiple layers. It was impossible and dangerous to decipher the situation and respond to them from a faraway location.
[We’ll leave the capital tomorrow at dawn. Get ready with that in mind.]
[Understood!]
Although they received the second report, he decided not to make any new moves. This was because Luxus had a feeling that the current situation would be swayed by Wilk’s eccentric behavior.
Since Wilk is on the move, Luxus decided that he needs to start by getting reliable information. The senior officials also agreed with that statement.
Once they decided to do so, they moved quickly.
The Quordenze group had completely disappeared from the Royal Capital by the time the sun began to rise.
Luxus and the group never rested while on the move.
He continued to talk day and night with high-ranking officials in the carriage, and repeated simulations in order to be able to respond to whatever situation the Snake’s Jaw strategy took.
However, since they were on the move, the third report did not arrive at them.
Around this time, a number of messengers were leaving from Newnelly City to relay the latest news, but they were unable to properly meet up with Luxus and the others who were in a hurry to return home.
Luxus was finally able to receive the third report when he entered the territory of a noble that belonged to the Quordenze faction.
[Master!]
Waiting in that city was a military officer from Quordenze.
Leda, who had returned to Newnelly City earlier, told them of a city suitable for meeting up.
[Report the situation.]
Luxe asked the report while suppressing his deflection feeling.
Then, the military officer answered with a big smile.
[Young Master has successfully defeated the Spierzeig army at the Reisleaf!!]
At that moment, all of the simulations that Luxus and his team had built up all night became meaningless.
The original goal was to attract the enemy army and save Reisleaf Castle, but the mysterious result ended up being the destruction of the enemy army. One of the high-ranking officials froze, his eyes wide.
Everyone could tell from the happy face of the military officer that things are not going badly for Quordenze. However, for some reason, they can’t just say that they don’t know if it’s good news. If the situation changes, the policy will have to be reconsidered accordingly.
[Both of the enemy Generals, Magnis and Kindlor have been slain! This is a great victory for the Young Master’s army!!]
As expected, the report was several steps above my expectations. Luxus instinctively raised his palm at the military officer reporting to him, interrupting his words.
[… Wait. Putting aside Kindlor, why is Magnis in Reisleaf? And what do you mean they were slain… No, more importantly, is Wilk injured? What about the residual magic?]
At this point, the military officer in charge of reporting realized that very little information had reached Luxus. No, he heard from Leda in advance that their Master had only received up to the second report. However, the situation had changed so rapidly in just a few days that he had no idea that there was such a disparity in information.
The officer serving as the messenger carefully explained the movements from the start of the operation. He then reported that the Silknoon City has already fallen and that currently Wilk is reorganizing his forces in preparation for an assault on the Othelloria City.
[Othelloria city… you say…?]
Luxus was speechless this time.
Things were unfolding so quickly that nobody there could keep up at all. The amount of information coming in at once was too dense to make a quick decision about how future diplomacy should be developed. The same was true for high-ranking officials.
[…..Master, for now, let’s hurry up and return to Newnelly.]
[Ye….yes, you’re right. We can’t make any decision here.]
After pulling the military officer who was acting as the messenger into the carriage, Luxus and the others started moving towards Newnelly City again.
[I never expected it to end like this…]
[It hasn’t ended yet. There’s still Othelloria City.]
Luxus was silently listening to the exchange between the high-ranking officials who were advancing on horseback, but he couldn’t help but laugh at the lack of confidence in their words. After staying up all night and hearing the news of victory, everyone was feeling a little strangely excited.
[I guess Spierzeig was being played by Young Master even more than we are now…]
There was a slight sense of fear in the words of the high-ranking officer who muttered that to himself. You can easily imagine how scary it would be if their Young Master were on the enemy’s side, even if right now he is on their side.
Perhaps that image calmed him down a little, and Luxus also voiced his concerns.
[…..Romilie Spierzeig must not become the second Princess Asuriza.] (TL Note: アスリーザ)
In response to Emperor Zinkaen’s invasion, the Spierzeig family succeeded in surviving their house by offering a princess named Asuriza Spierzeig to the second Emperor Arginis.
Judging from Romilie’s behavior at the Royal Capital’s social gathering in May, there is a strong possibility that she will try to emulate her predecessor.
They can’t afford to compromise at the last minute. Everyone braced themselves.
[After confirming the situation in Newnelly, I’m thinking of forming a reinforcement force with a Highlord and sending it to Othelloria. What do you think of this?]
The high-ranking official nodded to Luxus’ idea.
In fact, Wilk is the only Highlord belonging to the Quordenze side in the area. Although he has picked up Oz and Ado, from the perspective of Luxus and the high officials, those two are extremely untrustworthy. It was counted as a minus rather than a plus.
[I think it’s a good idea. If I may add, I think it would be better for the unit commander to be a knight with an honest temperament.]
In order to prevent Wilk from committing strange acts again in Othelloria City, the high-ranking official recommended that an additional guard, who is directly ordered by the head of the family, should be assigned as reinforcement.
[Hmm. If we do it now, we’ll probably still be in time for the battle to conquer Othelloria.]
There was a hint of anxiety in Luxus’ voice.
Author's Thoughts
Raizu's Note:
Unlike the previous strategy which is "Serpent's Fang", this time I'm using "Snake's Jaw" because I imagine anaconda/python when imagining Wilk's strategy this time. Either way, between Serpent or Snake, the meaning is still same.
