novelraw Chapter 103: Revolution Defense War - Authority
Chapter 103: Revolution Defense War - Authority
The Germania Empire Army completely collapsed, retreating all the way to Alsace-Lorraine.
We were utterly exhausted and couldn't manage a pursuit, but Kroxx and his subordinates pursued the Imperial Army fiercely, dealing them a fatal blow.
In fact, Kroxx brought back so many Prisoners of War that we were completely bogged down by the aftermath.
Three days passed like that.
I came face to face with the person I had been waiting for.
“Congratulations on the great victory, Your Excellency, Marquis Lafayette! Truly a miraculous and great victory, I, Damien De Millbeau, am filled with admiration-”
“Count Milbeau.”
“Yes, yes.”
Damien, summoned by me from Verdun, had barely entered my command tent and begun saluting and showering me with praise before he flinched and swallowed dryly.
“I’ll hear your excuses first.”Hearing my words, Damien froze for a moment, but then took a deep breath and began rattling off at incredible speed.
“As per Your Excellency the Marquis's orders, I defeated Count Baden and captured Nancy to draw Duke Gunhild’s attention. It was right after that I received the report that Duke Gunhild had not moved north! I realized it was Grand Duke Leopold’s trap, but even if I headed south then, it was highly likely I wouldn't make it in time, and there was also the risk that Count Baden would regroup his forces and attack our rear! Based on this, I judged that defeating Count Baden and securely cutting off the supply lines as per Your Excellency’s initial orders was the way to contribute to Francia!”
“Oh-”
I was inwardly impressed.
The usual Damien De Millbeau would have reacted blankly, but he came fully prepared, having properly thought about what I would ask and how he should excuse himself.
Truly a man strong in a crisis, Count Milbeau.
“Excellent, you’ve thought very carefully about what I would question you on?”
“Th-Thank you-”
“But in the end, far from cutting off the supply lines, you gave up Nancy again and ran away.”
Damien hiccuped.
“Th-That. Unexpected enemy Reinforcements arrived, so unavoidably…….”
“Ah, I understand that. Not a bad decision. You preserved your forces too.”
Damien let out a sigh of relief.
But, it’s not over, you human.
“But I am extremely curious how that was possible, Count Milbeau.”
“Yes, yes?”
“You said you decided staying north to defeat Count Baden was contributing more to Francia. But, then you should have continued attacking Count Baden.”
Damien, looking guilty, couldn't say anything.
Just as I thought.
“And if you had done that, you would have suffered losses while retreating when the sudden Reinforcement Army arrived, but you retreated very cleanly. Truly astonishing resourcefulness. I don’t think even I could have managed that.”
Eventually, Damien became as mute as if he'd eaten honey, and I twisted my lips into a smirk and spoke.
“Shall I guess how that was possible? You didn't attack Count Baden. You were certain I had fallen into Grand Duke Leopold’s trap, so you thought there was no point pushing Count Baden if I was defeated, and were preparing to abandon Nancy and flee beforehand.”
I looked at Damien’s deathly pale face and asked.
“Am I wrong?”
“Th-That is…….”
“Yes, as you said, you probably wouldn't have made it to the battle even if you had come south. But if you had headed south anyway, you could have surrounded the routing Imperial Army from front and back and annihilated them. Given that you retreated without any damage, it seems Count Baden’s counterattack, which you claimed to be concerned about, lacked strength as well. Am I mistaken?”
“I-I am deeply sorry! Your Excellency, the Marquis!”
Damien immediately knelt before me.
“……Hah.”
Seeing Damien’s shoulders tremble at my sigh, I spoke again.
“Actually, I was planning to award you a medal for the remarkable achievements you showed in Alsace.”
Damien flinched and raised his head, and I chuckled softly as I declared.
“That’s cancelled.”
Damien looked crestfallen, then quickly schooled his expression.
Finding that both absurd and amusing, I let out a dry laugh and stood up from my seat.
“Hey, Count Milbeau.”
“Yes, yes. Your Excellency, Marquis Lafayette.”
I walked over to Damien and pulled the kneeling man to his feet.
“I’ll let it slide this time. You did follow my orders initially, and consequently, you did reduce the damage. Failing to annihilate Grand Duke Leopold’s army is regrettable, but blaming you for that responsibility would just be hindsight, too harsh. How could anyone expect me to win there? Right?”
“Th-That’s, righ- N-No, no, sir!”
As I stepped closer to him, Damien’s body stiffened.
“But tell me. While I’m fighting on the front lines, getting stabbed by swords and shot at by bullets, if a subordinate is avoiding engagement just to save his own skin, would I be angry, or not?”
“N-N-Never again will such a thing happen!”
I reached out, straightened the collar of the completely frozen Damien, and whispered to him.
“I’ll be watching. Let’s do well together, hmm?”
Just let me catch you one more time, really.
*
The capital of the Germania Empire, Germanburg.
Kaiserin Cecilia watched with cold, sunken eyes as the Minister of Finance measured the enormous pile of silver.
She consciously ignored the large man standing tall before her and the woman in splendid admiral attire.
“The amount is confirmed as stated, Kaiserin.”
Only after hearing the Finance Minister’s reply did Cecilia shift her gaze to the large man.
A man easily two heads taller than her, clad in intimidating jet-black armor.
Two horns sprouted from the head of the man, whose arms were crossed, his armor’s shoulders adorned with the shattered crown of a demon king.
“We thank you for using the loan from Abyss Corporation, Kaiserin Cecilia.”
The man, CEO Baal of Pride Inc., opened his mouth calmly.
Public opinion within the Empire was optimistic about the war situation, thanks to the early gains from occupying Alsace and Lorraine shortly after the war began, but Cecilia was well aware that the Imperial Army was suffering severe damage from Francia’s delaying tactics.
So, to ensure victory, she had accepted not only the support of the Feudal Lords but also Reinforcements from the Northern Allied Kingdom. This borrowed silver would be used as payment for them.
“……The contract is established. You may withdraw now.”
'If I can just seize the throne of Francia, I can easily recoup this much.'
Even so, relying on demons was a bitter reality, and her voice naturally sharpened.
“Kaiserin, our company also accepts slaves, not just silver, for loan repayment. Should you find repayment difficult, please consider it-”
“Did I not tell you to withdraw!”
As she snapped, provoked by the implication that she might default, Baal simply bowed his head and turned away without batting an eyelid.
“Well then, farewell. We hope you will use Abyss Corporation again in the future.”
“Haha. Good luck, Empress Your Highness. Ahh~ Envious. Wondering when Lust Inc. can start a war!”
“There are no plans yet, Barbatos.”
“Boo- boo-”
Cecilia glanced at the two departing demons, then at the towering pile of silver.
I summoned them as the Kaiserin of the Empire, and the amount was large enough that their CEO came personally.
Nevertheless, their ability to lend such a burdensome amount of silver so readily means the financial power of those demons must clearly surpass the Empire's economy.
Feeling inwardly disturbed, Cecilia issued instructions to the Finance Minister.
“……Then distribute it to the Feudal Lords and the Northern Allied Kingdom.”
“It shall be done, Kaiserin.”
Grand Duke Leopold wasn’t performing as well as expected, but Cecilia knew there was no substitute for him in the Empire, both in military talent and loyalty.
Though inwardly anxious, Cecilia still expected that with 50,000 Reinforcements, the Grand Duke would surely bring victory.
However, that expectation shattered the very next moment.
“Kaiserin, a report has arrived from the front!”
At the appearance of the urgently entering Minister of Military Affairs, Cecilia subtly raised an eyebrow.
He burst in suddenly, claiming a front report had arrived, yet he was empty-handed. Cecilia’s mood, already soured by the demons, worsened further.
“You seem overly rushed, Minister. But where is the report?”
“Th-That is.”
“That is?”
“Grand Duke Leopold ordered it delivered directly to the Kaiser, so it went straight to him…….”
Upon hearing those words, Cecilia shot up from her seat.
*
Having rushed frantically to the Emperor’s palace, Cecilia was approached wordlessly by Emperor Otto II, who handed her the report he held.
Cecilia took the report with trembling hands and read it.
The report detailed the Decisive Battle fought on the Western Plains of Besançon.
It stated that their 90,000 troops had fought against 50,000 Francia soldiers and were on the verge of victory, but suffered a Crushing Defeat due to the sudden arrival of Barbarian Reinforcements.
Reading that they had lost a staggering 50,000 of their 90,000 troops and retreated to Alsace made Cecilia feel like the sky was turning yellow.
The same number of soldiers as the Reinforcement Army I sent, which I borrowed from demons believing victory was certain, vanished in a single battle.
When she reached the part stating deep gratitude for the Kaiser’s grace in sending reinforcements, but also that the Francia army’s Morale was high, with even the Saint Queen and Barbarian reinforcements present, that continuing the war risked even greater casualties, and that the reinforcements sent might not be enough, Cecilia’s hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
Grand Duke Leopold’s report concluded by requesting the Kaiser make the decision to end the war and finally asking to be punished for failing to meet expectations despite the trust placed in him.
The Minister of Military Affairs essentially serves Cecilia, not Otto II, so he reported directly to the Kaiser, not the Minister.
Cecilia had entrusted the task to the Grand Duke knowing his absolute loyalty, but his loyalty was not to Cecilia.
She had overlooked that fact.
Swallowing dryly, Cecilia slowly lowered the report she had finished reading and opened her mouth.
“……Your Majesty.”
Although Cecilia was the real power in the Empire, that was only possible with the Emperor’s support and acquiescence.
If the Emperor withdrew his support, Cecilia would be merely a foreign-born empress.
One who had sacrificed numerous soldiers of the Empire for her own throne.
“Fifty thousand…… A heavy loss, Cecilia.”
Hearing Otto’s words, Cecilia squeezed her eyes shut and bowed her head.
“My apologies, Your Majesty. My shortcomings have caused trouble for Your Majesty.”
Cecilia steeled herself inwardly watching Otto slowly approach.
However, Otto lifted Cecilia’s hand and pressed a kiss to its back.
“The Grand Duke seems to have grown old.”
“Your, Your Majesty.”
Even Cecilia was taken aback as Otto continued.
“After you prepared so much for him, he speaks of ending the war in defeat. Is that man truly the hero of the Empire who was so loyal to me?”
Cecilia couldn't say anything.
She had devoted herself to the Empire until now.
She had reformed and reorganized the Empire, raising it up again under the absolute trust of the Emperor, whose authority had fallen after successive defeats to Francia and Krafte.
It wasn't just for the Empire, but also to find her own place.
It was a time of endurance, and seeing the crisis of revolution-torn Francia, she saw it as a chance to finally be rewarded for her long efforts.
But, even so.
“Ending the war like this, it’s absurd. It means throwing the Imperial authority you painstakingly raised back into the dirt…….”
Even though Cecilia had dealt a severe blow to the Empire, facing the Emperor who murmured while caressing her hand as if it were treasure, she couldn't form any thoughts.
“Cough, cough…….”
Otto, after caressing Cecilia’s hand for a moment, let go and let out a dry cough.
Almost reflexively, she, as always, picked up the water cup from the desk and handed it to him. Otto took it and moistened his throat.
A moment later, Otto spoke.
“Continue the war, Cecilia. Until victory.”
“But, Your Majesty.”
If this war ends now, Cecilia will lose all the authority she built over those long years.
Knowing that, she still considered it a gamble worth taking.
She couldn't just let slip the opportunity before her eyes, a chance to repay her unhappy childhood.
She chose that path because it was the only one, but Cecilia was prepared to accept the consequences if she failed.
-If you only yearn for what you've lost, you might lose what remains, leaving only greater suffering. I hope Your Highness does not experience that.
The words muttered by her ignorant, naive Saintess half-sister echoed in her mind.
“Cecilia, state what you desire. Shall the Grand Duke be dismissed?”
Seeing her husband willing to cast aside his most loyal relative, who had offered direct counsel to the Kaiser, for her sake, Cecilia couldn't tell if she should be moved or saddened.
“……No, not at all, Your Majesty. He is the best general we have. He was merely unlucky.”
“If that is your will, then so it shall be.”
In that moment, Cecilia genuinely pitied Grand Duke Leopold.
She too had driven countless soldiers onto the battlefield. She had made the Empire pay a price.
But it wasn't meant to destroy the Empire.
At the very least, Cecilia intended the Empire to become stronger through her seizing the throne of Francia.
Because she was not the princess of Francia, but the Kaiserin of the Empire.
-Does Your Highness possess such resolve? Will you stand on the same battlefield as the soldiers you send? Have you ever thought about the families who will mourn their deaths?
That is why she cannot forget her half-sister’s questioning.
She remembers the letter sent by King Karl II of the Krafte Kingdom.
If Grand Duke Leopold judged so, the war must end now.
Even if all those years of Cecilia’s painstaking effort come to naught, perhaps now, the Empire at least can still be saved.
“You may dispose of all the Imperial family’s assets. You may sacrifice as many soldiers as needed. Lead the war to victory, Cecilia.”
But Otto was different.
What mattered to him was not the Empire, but his and her authority.
“Those who mocked my defeat are worthless to me. It was you who stood by my side when I struggled, and you who restored my lost authority.”
Is it not your country?
Are they not the people you must protect?
Even if I don't, you should cherish them.
-Your Highness. How is such an act different from Father, who ignored Your Highness's sorrow and hardship and sent you off to the Empire?
While Cecilia, captivated by the words of her sister who was likely now on the battlefield with enemy soldiers, couldn't utter a single word, her beloved husband and Emperor of the Empire spoke cynically.
“Without you, the Empire is nothing.”
Cecilia closed her eyes.
She loves Otto.
From the moment Princess Cecilia was sold off in a political marriage before she could even form her identity as a Francian, she had been the Emperor's and the Empire's woman.
Slowly opening her eyes, Cecilia bowed deeply and said.
“……I follow the Kaiser’s will.”
However, Otto.
My beloved husband.
If you were not the Emperor of this Empire, I would never have loved you.