Episode 147 Krafte War – Overlapping Roads (3)
Lumière, the capital of the Revolutionary Francia Kingdom.
Lumière headquarters at the top of Aquitaine.
“I’m back, sister!”
“Louis.”
Christine was deeply relieved and walked over to hug Lewis.
“Oh, my sister…”
I could feel my half-brother stiffening in my sister’s arms because she had thick hair, but Christine didn’t care.
It wasn’t that I didn’t attach an escort to Lewis.
I was afraid that Lewis would be uncomfortable, so I ordered only two people to secretly escort him at a distance.
However, when Lewis went on an overland carriage trip, he was temporarily lost, and after searching for a while, the escorts belatedly reported that the carriage he was riding had been attacked.
Normally, Christine would have noticed and responded immediately when the escort’s regularly scheduled report was delayed, but she was too distracted by the imminent start of the war with Krafte to notice it late.
“Hey, sister over there.”
Louise, who was in her arms, stiffened awkwardly and called her again, and only then did Christine loosen her arms and let Louis go.
“You’re safe.”
“Yes. “I was lucky.”
“…was it very uncomfortable at the top of Aquitaine?”
“Oh, that’s um…”
Lewis rolled his eyes here and there and immediately lowered his head.
“I’m sorry, sister. “I was careless.”
Christine looked at Lewis, who was now a little taller than her, feeling a little distraught.
There was a lot she wanted to say, but Christine suppressed her emotions and looked away, as she always did.
“So who are you?”
The look Christine sent was quite cold, but the person who received it greeted me calmly, as if he was used to it.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Excellency, Count of Aquitaine. My name is Leon Durand. “I am a mercenary from Franzia who recently traveled around the Magic Kingdom of Holland and the Germania Empire.”
“He’s the one who saved me from the attack and brought me here.”
Christine also knew it well because she had been briefed on it in advance.
Still, I didn’t bother to ask.
“Thank you for your hard work, mercenary Duran. As a member of Aquitaine, I would like to express my gratitude for bringing Luis back safely. You may have been hired by Louis, but we will pay you additional compensation separately in the name of the top of Aquitaine. “You won’t have to worry about money for a while.”
Durang whistled and responded in a more polite manner.
“Thank you, Excellency the Count of Aquitaine. Generous compensation is always welcome. As expected, I was extremely lucky to receive this request.”
Christine looked at Durang with narrowed eyes.
Compared to what I expected, his attitude is neat and leaves no regrets.
Christine seemed to understand what he meant, so she nodded in satisfaction and tried to distract herself from him.
“Oh, sister.”
“huh? “Why are you doing this, Louis?”
However, upon hearing Lewis’ call at that time, Christine smiled in a gentle manner that was completely different from when she saw Durang.
“I personally would like to continue to employ Mr. Durand.”
When I heard that, my smile became stiff.
* * *
After Lewis and Durand retreated.
Christine was lost in thought as she looked at the information posted by her retainers.
After Luis went missing in a carriage attack and arrived in the village and sent a letter, Christine knew everything about the mercenary Leon Durand as soon as she received it.
His real name is Richard de Duheng.
The second son of a family of French knights, he left the family while being checked by his eldest son, the successor, and the family collapsed during the revolution.
It is roughly similar to the past that Lewis heard about, and as he claims, there is a record of the mercenary Leon Durand’s activities in the Magic Kingdom of Holland and the Germania Empire.
It is not strange that the rain lasts for a long time and his whereabouts are unclear, given the nature of a wandering mercenary, and at least it is certain that the mercenary Leon Durand is a real person.
Christine tapped her fingers on the desk.
By chance, Louis was attacked as soon as he set out on his overland journey, and a mercenary with enough skill to single-handedly catch the assassins happened to be passing by and saved him?
As Christine, I was heartbroken and then relieved when Louis went missing, but that was that and this was this.
Clearly, information-wise, everything is correct and there are no problems.
Even when Christine told him to get out of this business because he would pay extra, Durand understood right away and tried to do so neatly.
Lewis, who felt a sense of trust in Durand’s mercenary attitude of not wanting to get involved too deeply and felt a sense of kinship with Durand’s past, actually held onto him.
From Lewis’s point of view, he almost died but was saved, and it is not strange that Lewis, who had no know-how about traveling, developed a close relationship with Durand while receiving help on the long journey.
At least for mercenary Leon Durand himself, there are clearly no problems.
But rather, it feels more unnatural.
Although Christine’s ability to gather information is unrivaled, she was able to track down the past history of a mercenary who had left Franzia a long time ago, and it was not that difficult to obtain.
It would be okay to just dismiss it as a coincidence, but…
Christine slowly narrowed her eyes when she saw the results of Richard de Duheng’s investigation.
After all, a mercenary from Francia with a past that Louis could identify with approached him with his whereabouts neatly organized without a doubt?
That’s a coincidence?
At least Christine doesn’t have that optimistic disposition.
Even if not immediately, she had a habit of securing those who seemed useful as investments in the future.
Since there is a limit to what can be done with a hastily made card, it is a natural attitude that anyone who deals with intelligence organizations should have.
So, if you are an enemy of her kind.
After finding out about Louis Daquiten’s whereabouts and personality, I selected the most suitable identity to use for this task from among the cards I had prepared in advance.
If so, it would be possible to allow it to naturally penetrate in this way by fitting together like teeth.
An ordinary human being would not use a method like this, which does not even guarantee success with that effort, but for humans in this world, even this would be one of countless cards where success would be good and failure would be the only option.
the problem is.
Christine raised her hand and touched her forehead.
If this is a duke, why Louis?
If you carry out a carefully prepared operation like this, there is no need for the target to be Louis.
Even if Christine has any thoughts on Louis, what value does he have in terms of the national standard of Franzia?…
he has absolutely nothing.
If this is the Duke of Krafte, even Christine has no idea what benefit there will be in the war against Francia by making Louis an agent like this.
That’s why we can’t be sure whether that Leon Durand is a spy or whether it’s just a coincidence.
That’s why Christine can’t hastily refuse a request from Lewis, who rarely asks for something.
Christine also realizes that she is a bit soft on Louis.
Still, my younger brother, who was always intimidated in Aquitaine, is someone I like for a long time, and I don’t feel like throwing him out for reasons he can’t understand.
Eventually, after hesitating for a while, a sigh naturally flowed from Christine’s mouth.
After graduating from Magic Tower early, Lewis returned home and said that he wanted to be helpful and that he would participate in the war.
Even before there are doubts about Leon Durand’s origins, his skills seem to be clear, so if it helps protect Luis’ life on the battlefield, Christine would welcome it.
Besides…
Christine took out a piece of stationery and started writing down what she wanted to send to Pierre.
If you are suspicious, it may be safer to know its existence and keep it within reach.
* * *
The time has clearly entered fall.
As the start of the war with the Kingdom of Krafte approached, an order to mobilize reserve forces was declared in the capital Lumière under the name of Pierre de Lafayette, commander-in-chief of the revolutionary army.
Revolutionary troops mobilized from all over began to gather in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Revolutionary Francia.
The revolutionary army that will be mobilized in this war is as large as 250,000 troops.
If you include the reinforcements that will be sent from the Iberian Brotherhood, the overwhelming force will reach a total of 300,000.
In response, the Kingdom of Krafte also mobilized an army of 200,000 troops.
Even though the country was only half the size of Francia in terms of territory and population, the fact that the proportion of elite standing troops among its troops far surpassed that of Francia made everyone in the revolutionary army nervous.
Louis Daquiten, who had now officially enlisted as a member of the revolutionary army, also swallowed his saliva out of nervousness.
“Are you okay, employer?”
“It’s okay. Mr. Durand.”
“Oh now it’s Sergeant Durand.”
“That’s right. Sergeant Durand. But then shouldn’t you also call me Ensign Lewis and not your employer?”
Durang smiled and answered.
“Yes, Lieutenant Aquitaine, Revolutionary Army wizard.”
“Ah, not Luis, but Aquitaine.”
Lewis washed his face dry with his hands and took a deep breath.
“I shouldn’t show shame for my sister’s name…”
“Haha, in any army, magicians are high-quality personnel. “If you are an Aquitaine second lieutenant who graduated from the regular course at the Magic Tower in Francia, where there are only a few wizards, the commander will be very welcome, so don’t be too nervous.”
“Whoa, thank you. Mr. Durand, no, Sergeant Durand…”
Lewis passed by the people who were glancing at him, lifted the curtain at the entrance to his destination, the command barracks, and went inside.
Then, after taking a deep breath, he saluted in a calm manner and shouted.
“Loyalty to the National Assembly and to Her Majesty the Queen for freedom, equality and fraternity! “Lieutenant Louis Daquiten, who was assigned to the Southern Army Headquarters as of today, reported-”
Louis, who had been shouting hard, gasped in surprise at the general approaching him.
“Oh, there you are now! Welcome! Ha ha ha ha ha! Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!”
“Yes yes?”
Then, looking at the man with a blank smile on his face, I asked a question, but without realizing it, I covered my mouth.
“Nice to meet you, Ensign Louis Dakiten! This person is none other than Count Damien de Mirbeau, the proud commander of the Southern Revolutionary Army! Of course, you’ve heard the names praising this body, ‘Master of Defense’ and ‘Guardian of Dilus,’ right?”
“Yes yes? Uh…”
Of course, there was no way Lewis, who had just returned from the Kingdom of Magic, would know.
Whether Luis was foolish or not, Damien de Mirbeau continued to talk with a big smile on his face.
“It’s just a story between us, but he is the one who recognized this body’s abilities and recommended him for the position of commander of the Confederate Army! The Count of Aquitaine was beautiful, wise, and a role model for others! ha ha ha! Now that he has sent his beloved younger brother, doesn’t this mean that the Count of Aquitaine trusts and relies on Damien de Mirbeau?”
“Yes, yes…”
Damien de Mirbeau, who was talking excitedly, perhaps knowing that Louis was losing respect for his superior from the first time they met, flashed his shiny white teeth and gave a thumbs up.
“Damien de Mirbeau himself, to ensure that the Count of Aquitaine’s precious brother can stay comfortably! Especially! Be careful! I’ll take care of it! You don’t have to worry about anything during your stay! Please take care of me in the future! ha ha ha!”
“It’s an honor… “Your Excellency Commander…”
Damien shook hands with Louis, who was completely embarrassed, and then turned his back.
Only then did a woman with the rank of major, who was looking at Damien with very regretful eyes, come into Louis’s eyes.
A female officer of military rank. Of course, it was my first time seeing it, but somehow it seemed familiar to me, and as I was looking at it, the other person cleared his throat.
“Oh, sorry, Major! “This is Lieutenant Louis Daquiten!”
Then the other person opened his mouth with a fake friendly smile.
“Welcome, Ensign Louis Daquiten. “This is Major Giselle Darby, the counselor and chief of staff to His Excellency Count Damien de Mirbeau.”
Only then did Lewis realize why she looked so familiar.
-If I’m going to die anyway, I’d like to at least hear the name of my benefactor. I swear I will never reveal it.
-Ellen Darby You overestimate your willpower. Have you ever received professional training to withstand torture? The human will is weaker than you think. Are you confident that you will not blame your younger siblings the moment you die? If you are that determined, it would be better for you to quit now. I have more cards to use than you.
The person who listened to his sister’s words and looked up with cold eyes. The major, whose stubborn eyes resembled hers, smiled kindly and said,
“His Excellency, Count Mirbeau, may be a bit… uncharacteristic, but he is capable. “I will help you adapt well. I am also indebted to the Count of Aquitaine.”
Louis looked blankly at Giselle Darby’s hand reaching out for a handshake for a moment, then belatedly shook her hand.
“…Thank you, Major Darby.”
When I said that, I felt like there was a thorn stuck in my throat.
