novelraw Chapter 163: Krafte War - Northern Allied Kingdom (1)
Chapter 163: Krafte War - Northern Allied Kingdom (1)
Eris awoke long after the battle had ended.
“I heard you have awoken. Are you feeling alright, Your Majesty the Queen?”
Upon receiving the report from a subordinate and rushing over, I found Eris sitting up with a somewhat pale complexion. She immediately asked.
“Marquis Lafayette, the battle?”
“We won. Your Majesty the Queen’s power was great.”
Eris smiled brightly, then her expression changed as she asked,
“How much time has passed?”
“It is now the third day since the battle ended.”
“Then the wounded are…”
Waking up after three days, that was her first concern.I let out a light sigh and answered,
“Archbishop Johan and the priests of the Francian diocese helped, and we have medics as well. The wounded are not going to die just because Your Majesty was absent.”
“That is a relief.”
I did not go out of my way to inform Eris of the number of casualties.
Instead I looked into Eris’s violet eyes and opened my mouth.
“Eris.”
“Yes?”
“You can't see right now, can you?”
“Ah.”
Eris swept a hand over her eyes and asked:
“…The attendants didn't notice. Was it obvious?”
“…Having been on the battlefield, I’ve seen people with eye injuries a few times. More than anything, it was strange that you didn’t immediately offer to go and look after the wounded.”
Eris was silent for a moment, then said:
“Don’t worry too much. It will come back soon.”
“How do you know that? Because you’re a user of divine power?”
“…Yes. Through its energy, I know vaguely. Even though I can’t see right now, I know just from the energy that you are the only one who entered this room.”
Eris looked intently toward me.
Though she couldn't see to meet my eyes, she was looking roughly toward me.
“So there is no need for you to feel sorry, Marquis.”
“…How did you know that, too.”
Eris answered with a bitter smile,
“I told you. I can feel the energy.”
Even if she had borrowed the power of the crystals, I had asked Eris—who had fainted and only just woken up—to bless as many as 2,500 people.
…To the saintess who, when we first met, had struggled to heal just a few dozen people.
I had known she was overexerting herself every time, but only now did I truly feel it was clearly harming Eris.
But Eris placed a hand on her chest and said,
“You said that I alone am far more precious than an ordinary soldier.”
“…Yes, I did say that.”
“Hmm, it’s frustrating, but I think you have a point now.”
Eris nodded as she said that, then tilted her head slightly and asked,
“Then, if one person getting sick or being unable to see for a while means hundreds of thousands win and tens of thousands survive, isn’t that a worthy sacrifice, Marquis?”
“Hah.”
Despite being blind, Eris put her hands on her hips and said with a feigned stern expression,
“What’s wrong, Marquis? Don’t tell me the Marquis who used to lecture me has changed his mind now that his position has changed?”
The one before me was no longer a young saintess.
Realizing that anew, I shook my head and answered,
“...No, you are not wrong, Your Majesty the Queen. Your Majesty’s words are correct. However,”
Usually, such things are judged by the one who gives the order. A third party who can judge that person's value decides and orders the sacrifice.
“It is not usual for someone to willingly take on a sacrifice, not under orders but of their own accord. I would at least appreciate if you could learn to refuse when you think something is too much.”
“You also jump into enemy lines, risking your life at a disadvantage, don't you, Marquis?”
“That is true, but…”
Even when I risk my life and jump into enemy lines, I do so because I have judged that by doing so, the probability of surviving and leading us to victory is higher than the probability of something going wrong.
“At the very least, even in moments when I am certain something will go wrong for me, I don’t think I could step forward like Your Majesty.”
For Christine's sake, if for no other reason, I cannot do that.
But Eris has no such concerns.
Hidden behind her gentle and energetic demeanor, she is, in a sense, the most detached, someone who can accept death at any time.
-If I work hard like this, maybe God will forgive my mother's sins and mine.
The words she had once said to me flashed through my mind.
As I was unable to say anything, Eris stretched as if she were stiff, then smiled brightly and said.
“But if everyone is a little happier, that makes me happy, too.”
-I have to do it. Not for others, but for myself.
A saintess who, because she believes doing things for others is for her own sake, has come to not care about herself at all…
I put my hand to my forehead, then said.
“Let’s make one thing clear, Your Majesty.”
“Yes?”
“If something were to happen to you because of this, all the people who love you would be unhappy.”
Eris blinked, then smiled faintly.
“What should I do? I think I might be a bad person. Instead of worrying about that, it actually makes me happy to hear it.”
Ah, this one, really.
I can't just smack a queen.
I let out a light sigh.
“Very well. If you insist on being that way, then as a commander, I have no choice but to control you with arbitrary orders. The crisis where we had to bet everything to win is over, so even if it is against Your Majesty’s will, I will have you forcibly stationed in the rear.”
I had expected Eris to pout, as she always did, and call me a swindler of a supporter.
However, she smiled, looking quite happy right in front of me, and replied.
“Alright. Since I don't know, I’ll leave it to the Marquis, whom I trust. I’m sure you, Marquis, will be able to utilize my selfishness, which I would have displayed anyway, efficiently and allow me to save even more people.”
At her absurd words, a genuine laugh escaped me.
“Is this being responsible, or irresponsible…”
And yet, for some reason,
A sensation, as if something were pulsating—whether it was the lingering scent of divine power on my body, or something deeper inside—arose.
*
The Northern Allied Kingdom’s capital city, Nortrich.
Christine’s flagship, the ‘Libre,’ and its escort fleet had entered the port of Nortrich, the kingdom's capital, located on an island connecting the two peninsulas of the Northern Allied Kingdom.
Not long after, a heated debate unfolded in the meeting.
“To betray an alliance in the middle of a war? There is no such law anywhere! The prestige of the allied kingdom will fall to the ground!”
“Strictly speaking, it is not a betrayal. Our alliance is with the Germania Empire, is it not, not the Krafte Kingdom? It has not even been twenty years since the Krafte Kingdom was an enemy nation that fought a war with the Empire and with us!”
“Hmph, it’s all the same! This war was started by the Germania Empire in the first place, and we participated as an ally! For us to join hands here with the illegitimate queen of Francia, who has denied the right of succession to the throne? What will become of us?”
“If you put it that way, has the Germania Empire properly fulfilled even one of the promises it made when it drew us in? Even if Krafte wins this war, is there any sign that they will fulfill them? Are they not already busy being harassed by the feudal lords? It is they who have forsaken their duty first!”
Talleyrand, who was watching the pro-Empire ministers and the anti-Empire, or rather, the ministers who had been bought by the Aquitaine Merchant Guild, clash fiercely, opened his mouth with an air of composure.
“Indeed, Countess Aquitaine. You have done your work well.”
Christine, dressed in her admiral’s uniform, instead of covering her mouth with her fan as she always did, gave a light nod, her expression aloof, and turned her gaze towards the throne.
The queen, who had once been the second princess of Francia, was a person of benevolent character who enjoyed reasonably good support from the people of the Northern Allied Kingdom, but in a situation like this, she was too timid to step forward properly.
If she had been an ambitious person from the start, she would have coveted the Francian throne like Empress Cecilia of that empire, or at least would have actively intervened to demand concessions, so this was not surprising.
King Gustav XII, who was six years younger than the queen and therefore relatively young, looked at the ministers tearing each other down in front of the Francian delegation with a frown, and opened his mouth.
“To have ministers so deeply concerned with the kingdom’s diplomacy and future is a great fortune for me. How can I not be pleased when they raise the kingdom’s prestige so high in front of our guests?”
The ministers, who had been tearing each other down like mad just a moment ago, immediately fell silent. Gustav XII turned his gaze to the queen and said.
“Queen, what is your opinion? Do you still seek revenge for your family?”
“Your Majesty, no matter the circumstances, the alliance…”
The queen spoke for a moment, then fell silent under the king’s gaze.
“…No, Your Majesty. It is right for you to do as you please.”
Hearing the queen's reply, Gustav XII spoke.
“I wish to speak with the envoys a little more comfortably.”
“But Your Majesty!”
“Do as His Majesty wishes!”
The pro-queen faction tried to protest, but with far more ministers bowing their heads in agreement, they could only retreat, their faces contorted.
A short while later, in the now quiet grand hall, Gustav XII looked down at Talleyrand and Christine and spoke in an arrogant tone.
“This is a proper kingdom. I have no wish to recognize the unpleasant political system you have established, nor do I have any intention of doing so.”
At the words of the king, who seemed quite displeased, Talleyrand answered naturally.
“The Revolutionary Kingdom of Francia, too, has not the slightest intention of spreading our system to other nations, Your Majesty. Does not every country have clothes that fit them?”
“Hah.”
Gustav XII let out a dry laugh and twisted the corners of his mouth.
“Those who have manipulated the ministers in my kingdom as they pleased speak well. Countess Aquitaine. I have heard much of your fame and notoriety. This must be your work?”
The Black Witch of Aquitaine.
At the king’s words, which mentioned a moniker that was by no means complimentary, Christine smiled faintly and bowed her head.
“With all due respect, Your Majesty the King, I believe the recent change in public opinion within the Northern Allied Kingdom was not unfavorable to Your Majesty.”
Gustav XII put a hand to his temple and leaned his body sideways.
“Yes. It is extremely unpleasant that it was due to foreign influence, but you are not wrong.”
Unlike Otto II, who was older than Cecilia, the first princess of Francia, and already advanced in years, Gustav XII was quite young, in his 30s.
However, because he had ascended to the throne at a young age, he had been swayed by the many pro-Empire ministers and had been unable to assert his will.
“What is an alliance in the first place, Your Majesty the King? An alliance is a relationship based on mutual benefit. If one side only suffers losses, it can no longer be called an alliance. If so, a review of the relationship for the sake of the national interest is also necessary.”
“If I may be so bold as to say, the proposal Francia is making is an opportunity to further solidify Your Majesty’s royal authority. If you can reclaim the ancient lands of the kingdom from that mighty Krafte with the support of the ministers’ public opinion, Your Majesty, too, will be praised as much as that ‘Great King’.”
Gustav XII looked back and forth between Talleyrand and Christine with a displeased expression.
A proper kingdom.
Although he had said so, Karl XII knew the public opinion now suppressing the pro-Empire faction and supporting him would only last as long as their interests aligned.
Most were either hostile to the vested interests dealing with the Empire, or they suffered losses because the sea routes were blocked by the war with Francia.
In the end, even the king could not sway the country as he pleased, regardless of its situation.
“Unpleasant, extremely unpleasant.”
However, he was still only in his 30s.
The Great King of Krafte had risen to become the foremost commander on the Central Continent by defeating the Empire at his age. Meanwhile, the fame of Marquis Lafayette, the Black Witch of Aquitaine, and the Saintess Queen Erisliste, all younger than him, was already shaking the entire continent.
He was too young and ambitious to let such an opportunity pass for mere pride.
Above all, the small force he had reluctantly dispatched in support of the Empire had been soundly defeated in just a few battles. Since then, they had been at the mercy of the Francian navy's commerce raiding, and the economy had continued to deteriorate.
He could not bear the thought of his era being remembered as a mediocre dark age.
“I do not know if you consider the Northern Allied Kingdom an easy piece to use, but I am no fool.”
Karl XII took his hand from his temple and straightened his posture.
“I ask you, if my army advances on Krafte, do you have the capacity to contain their strong army? Because of your navy, even the meager mineral trade we maintained will become difficult once we go to war with Krafte. Can you compensate for this and provide an advantage truly worthy of an ‘ally’?”
Talleyrand discreetly turned his gaze to Christine, who, even before the king, held her head high and answered confidently.
“Of course, Your Majesty. Francia has constant, abundant demand for minerals due to the large-scale war. Even with a surplus, the Aquitaine Merchant Guild has sufficient capacity to handle transit trade with your country’s minerals. Furthermore…”
Christine paused for a moment, then twisted the corners of her mouth into a smirk and replied.
“When your country’s army advances on Krafte, the army they will have to fight is not just the Kingdom’s army.”