Kakei Senki Wo Kakageyo!
Episode 41: If you get ahead of the shadows, you'll know the shadows.
I hear snails. Is that the footsteps of the times?
Look at the mess, this continent forms the shape of Daimon.
The western pillar is the Everian Empire, with the West Dragon River flowing north-south through the territory, making it the core of the pillar. The eastern pillar is the Kingdom of Asuria, and it is the East Dragon River that flows north and south of the territory. The fact that they have their capitals in the south-central neighborhood is similar to each other. Between the two pillars there are two plains.
The northern plains are the plains of crime. The vast and varied wilderness is a battlefield where many encounters have been fought, in which the north is covered in the Heavenly Frontier Mountains in conjunction with the northern parts of both countries. Beyond that, the Great Ice Plains are expanding a world that denies human sustenance. It is not known how far it will go, but it seems that the area, at least equal to or greater than a seasonal world, just continues as a frozen land.
The southern plains are the Purple Cloud Sea. It is a sea of irregular demons with high waves and tides, a sea where you can't go offshore and stay safe all day and night trying to build some robust ships. It is also said that there will be infinite bubbles that will not allow anything to float, whether there is a giant sea beast or a great seaweed that intertwines ships. Only near the island of the Holy Grail is it possible to sail by special ship, painfully finding its way at sea between the southern edge of both the East and West pillars.
The country is twofold. There is only one route you can use. It is not easy to tell whether or not there is land beyond the outer ocean.
The limits of man's world were known. In other words, the limits of man's business are also known.
The man erupted exhalation from the bottom of his belly as he saw the entire world view on a large piece of sheepskin paper. The wrinkled face, bordered by gray hair and white beard, is brilliant with both eyes like a raptor. The expression is harsh. Wrinkles between eyebrows, etc., are frozen or there is no sign of even flat return.
The man's name is Reimund.
He is the emperor of the Everian Empire.
Look down at the map on your desk with the flag of the Empire on your back, without making it slight in the lavish office. I never get bored, I just don't enjoy it, and I stare at it as if it shows even a debt that is difficult to save there. For him, who dominates half of human society, the map was something to be outraged at.
When I returned my vision to the room, I knew who the sound was that still didn't ring. It's repeated with the cuttlefish. It emanates from the office door. If Reimund told him to "get in," it stopped and one young man came into the room.
"Excuse me. Father."
"... um"
Reimund saw him who called himself the Emperor "Father". There is a thin soft impression of the line first, then the indistinguishability between public and private fragrances like the sweetness that lingers on the tongue. Much like the face of the queen when we met, I can't imagine this son standing on the battlefield.
Ismael, the son of Lymund, who is now the only one.
"I asked to greet you before I left. We're heading north of here, and after spending this summer on the North Side, we'll head back to the Empire City in the fall. Good luck with your report!
"Well... be very careful when entering the Phantom Forest. When you're obsessed, you're often blind."
"Treat me like a child again... even if it's okay. I'm still proud of my fame for this. I'm sure I'll give you a seven-color achievement, I will."
Laughing joyfully, Ismael withdrew from the emperor's office. Rymund exhales long and quietly after dropping that figure off to the end. It seemed to contain ingredients of happiness, and he just remains a bitter face after throwing up.
His son... Ismael, first in the right to inherit the throne, travels north with a smile. To spend enough money and time with many escorts to exchange things unrelated to the war. To have a full day.
Insect collection in the northern forests. That is the purpose of the journey.
Demonic forest, a dense forest of demons that extends more depressingly than the foothills of the Heavenly Mountains. It is an unfulfilled outdoor land that you will not return to if divided into the back, but it is relatively safe near the outer circumference to take a peek at one scale of the special ecosystem. There are many other insects that are not seen, and that has long aroused Ismael's interest.
Such information was sent to him by the people of the border. A child who went into the woods to pick up firewood witnessed a seven-colored butterfly gleaming like a slide between the trees. Ismael was surprised. I begged Lymund to capture it, and it would be forgiven and this time it would be a ritual. It's a summer trip in a village on the north side. Summer days when Ismael spends a smile on his hand with a bug net...... Reimund could easily imagine it.
I was craving a beautiful sight. Dreamy sights.
Those who spend it don't have to be themselves. It's just that such a sight shows up in people's worlds. Lymund dreamed of it behind his lid, letting his mind play to the indulgence between the bundles. Not until I'm woken up by another sound. guts and next time it had a powerful sound of reality.
"Excuse me. Donald Colletos, we are returning now."
"Um, well done. Back."
The man, who entered the room as he dragged his legs, corrected his prestige and took an upright immobility. The knightly garment worn without any disturbance of dimensions is brave, and the long sword lowered to the waist shows the special nature of the person allowed to wear the sword even on this occasion. This old knight is Reimund's crotch minister. The reign has been a side service since before adulthood.
In the former war, he ran side by side the Great Battle of Hazardous Plains. Reimund then remained in Imperial territory as a hindsight, but Donald has joined the Kingsguard to go to the Kingdom of Aslia. He flattened the northern part of the kingdom and sustained major injuries to his leg during the fierce battle as he headed south from there. It is now around what is known as the "surface of the land”. Because it is a war wound received for protecting him from which he should be protected, Reimund just considers it an injury to his honor.
"I would like to report to you. Intelligence activities in the Kingdom of Aslia entered the second phase, and the remaining Everians in the kingdom willingly organized squadrons everywhere. The route of march has been determined to be one of the three good routes, one of which is acceptable and one of which is impossible."
It was the report of a knight who powdered himself and worked, even though he had lost his ability to fight on the front line. Reimund doesn't take that loyalty for granted. Donald was special. As a title, he was only a knight in the first place, but he recognized it as being like his own half.
"What is the size of the Squad?"
"Ha. Thirty to fifty people await opportunities in each of the major towns. The lurking inside Territorial Castle did not materialize, but it seems likely to be effective in opening the outer gates of the town and inducing arson and disturbance into the city."
"That's a lot of people...... is everything Eberian?
"No, it's in the gold nostalgia of the local villains. We're not letting you know this trait, so let's go hand in hand with revenge on the country you live in without knowing it."
"Aren't you distracted by the connection?
"We are in contact individually and through multiple intermediaries. I don't think you realize you're one of the dozens until something happens..."
Donald, who had answered clearly, but at the end of the story he tried to cloud his verbal butt. Seeing a slight regret there, Reimund urged ahead with a glance.
"The only thing about the river thief“ sandblazer ”with influence on water transport is that I have made him accept cooperation after telling him that I am an Imperial Knight. I would have planned to incorporate it into the Corps, but that didn't happen."
"Hmm... you're an Everian, aren't you?
"It belongs to someone who once made a name for himself in the mercenary unit of the Imperial Army. And... he who also took part in the last battle and became a prisoner of war or something"
Reimund couldn't get back to him right away. Chest pain clogs my breath.
The last battle is the battle in which Reimund lost his son, who was expected to be the next emperor. He was a man of enough to fall in love, whether his parents wanted him or not. He was hegemonic, rich in military talent, and had the qualities to attract 10,000 people. I had no hesitation whatsoever in playing Rymundo and delegating the full powers of the invading forces of the Kingdom of Asuria. It was such a big vessel.
The son has been buried in the hands of the demon. The battle against the brave was a boulder battle, but as if by magic the wind of slaughter had blown, and the treasure balls responsible for the future of the empire had been crushed. It was a nightmare. In fact, Lymund still dreams about it. His daily glow, his loss, his daily darkness, and his fallout seemed hopeless.
I wanted to replace it if it was something I could replace. If possible, I'd like to do it on my behalf now.
For the past fifteen years, Reimund has lived possessed by such grief. Now even at this moment the darkness is obsessed with the chest, and I know that it will already accompany me to the graveyard. When the pain goes away, it's time to die.
"... well. I'd like to talk to you."
With all due respect, Reimund uttered those words. I know I'm not going to see you. Even if I actually met him, I wouldn't let him talk about it then, even if I made a mistake. Lymund's "wound” reaches deep and deep into his heart. Touch and shake and you will still spit fresh blood.
"His people hated being involved with the state, and he also seemed to be immersed in nothingness. I just regret my detours."
Donald's words gave Rymundo a bitter taste. Because that's what comes close to his heart. Vain such as distressing the end of the nation… The thought, which arises more than in the heart, was the heart of Rymundo, without denial.
But he is the emperor. What the leader of the river thief carries is different in quantity and quality. There is a huge responsibility to be fulfilled even in an attempt to be desperate, and for that reason it has no other meaning to live than to burn down the rest of your life.
Reimund has not yet allowed himself to die. We must destroy the kingdom.
"This is also about good waterways within the three roads, but we know that we can expect his men to do enough to support the invading army. I have a proven track record of cooperating in the Church's work activities, and I have no doubt that I have the strength to overhead even among the villains. Work a lot depending on the money you pay."
Donald's explanation continued. Reimund confirmed before nodding.
"You haven't revealed your sincerity to the church, have you?
"Ha. We are in shape to ensure that information-gathering is the main purpose only. As for logistics, we eventually asked every place to cooperate at the dawn of the invasion, but this would be more unnatural not to request. Because it is clear that the purpose of the war is an invasion of the kingdom."
"Mm-hmm. Show the church exactly what it looks like."
Reimund did not believe in the church. The burning of forts in earlier outposts is also a recent example, because there were too many suspicions about the movement of churches in the former wars.
Great Games in the Plains of Disaster. It became Rymundo's parental enlistment. The church had accepted that in a neutral position. At that point, he was a bystander, and he didn't pretend to be on either side. That attitude changed dramatically after the Empire won the Great Games and avalanched invading armies into Kingdom territory. Suddenly he began to show a cooperative attitude towards the kingdom, which became blatant with every victory the Empire took.
It was the Sacred Testament of the Brave that became the decisive act.
After making a rough announcement that there was a miraculous glow in the southern part of the kingdom, he declared himself a brave man of the sacrament by doing one young man who had headlined from somewhere. And they marched the Knights of the Holy Grail. As it is the Knights who are led by the brave.
The Royal Army took it back. Because the brave men took sides in the kingdom and fought against the empire. We push back where we were at Setouchi in the diaspora, and to the final battle. Reimund still thinks. The Imperial Army was right to target the brave. If the great patriarchal name of the Church is based on the peculiar being of the brave, you just have to consider it. I should have regained my advantage with that.
If a slaughterer such as Salomon hadn't appeared, the Imperial Army would have stopped the roots of the kingdom after he had disputed the brave. Only the Everian Empire was present in this human world as the only nation, and Reimund would have seen it and left... an ideal sight to envision ahead of his days of existence.
"Waterways are good. Let's hear about the other two ways."
Hating the pain again, Reimund urged Donald to report it. Too beautiful a dream exacerbates the misery of reality into something hard and intolerable. Now was not the time.
"We saw land routes through Hellevy territory as acceptable. At first glance, logistics looks neat and well managed, but the truth is that it is supported by a large percentage of private work, which means that we can intervene with interest. In fact, this is where the river thieves are hiding the loot."
Nod silently. The fact that merchants sometimes want to go beyond the framework of the state is the truth, whether East or West of the country. That was something Reimund was well aware of, and he was able to say about the value of its use.
"We see this as impossible for land routes through the territory of Uliharsila. We have developed supply routes to the front line before and after the war to strengthen traffic control. This doesn't seem to have anything to do with the fact that the Knights are stationed on the front line."
With Donald blurring the Knights' unique name, Rymund was therefore inspired by the rejection. I guess that's how it was set up. And it made Rymund hold bitter thoughts.
The elite Knights that the Marquis of Uliharsilla feeds...... It is the Knights of the Sword Horn that flies the Four Swords Square flag. It once existed and has not lost its strength again. It was one of the few troops that won the outpost and retreated in order in the previous Battle of the Wreck Plains.
And there is a group constantly fighting them in this new war. It is a reinforced battalion of 1,500 light cavalry. The name of the conductor is inscribed on the chest of Rymund as something to be forgotten but unforgettable.
Rationally, I know.
But the painful despair doesn't convince me.
So in response to Donald's suggestion, Reimund withheld his answer in silence. He understood that he was narrow, that he was a winner, and that he was stubborn. Still can't answer instantly. I can't snort. Rymund was bitter.
"Your Majesty, please grant Lieutenant Colonel Terencio Barcelo further military rights. There is no one better than him who can or can't do land."
I couldn't answer. But Reimund didn't give up thinking.