Episode 103 War of Defense of the Revolution – The Imperial
Germanian Empire completely collapsed and withdrew all the way to Alsace-Lorraine.
We were completely exhausted and unable to pursue anything, but Crocs and his men pursued the imperial army fiercely and inflicted fatal blows.
On the contrary, there were too many prisoners brought by Crocs, so we were stuck in the process of cleaning up after them.
After three days like that.
I faced the person I was looking forward to.
“Congratulations on your great victory, His Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette! Damien de Mirbeau admires this truly miraculous and great victory-”
“Count Mirbeau.”
“Yes old.”
Damien, who had been saluting and praising me as soon as I called him from Verdun and entered my command barracks, stuttered and swallowed dry saliva.
“I’ll listen to your excuses for now.”
Damien froze for a moment when he heard what I said, but then he took a deep breath and started talking at an incredible speed.
“I have defeated the Count of Baden and captured Nancy in order to attract the attention of Duke Gunhild, as ordered by His Excellency the Marquis!
It was shortly thereafter that we received a report that Duke Gunhild had not traveled north! I realized that it was Archduke Leopold’s trap, but even if I went south then, there was a high possibility that I wouldn’t be able to hit it in time, and there was also a risk that the Count of Baden would regroup his troops and attack the rear! Based on this, I decided that the way to contribute to Francia would be to defeat the Count of Baden and cut off the supply route, as per the first order I received from His Excellency the Marquis!”
“Oh-”
I was secretly amazed.
If it were my usual Damien de Mirbo, I would have reacted in confusion, but I thought carefully about what to ask and how to make an excuse.
Count Mirbeau is a man who is strong in times of crisis.
“That’s great. You thought very carefully about what I was going to ask you, didn’t you?”
“Thank you-”
“But in the end, instead of cutting off the supply route, you gave Nancy back and ran away.”
Damien hiccuped.
“That’s it. Unexpected enemy reinforcements arrived and inevitably…”
“Oh, I understand that. It’s not a bad decision. “The troops were still intact.”
Damien breathed a sigh of relief.
It’s not over, you human being.
“But I’m very curious about how that was possible, Count Mirbeau.”
“Yes yes?”
“You said you stayed in the north because you thought it would be better to stay and defeat the Count of Baden, which would contribute to Francia. But then you should have continued to attack Count Baden.”
Damien couldn’t say anything because he was stabbed.
Well then.
“And if that were the case, it would have been normal for us to have suffered damage while retreating when reinforcements suddenly arrived, but we retreated very cleanly. This is truly an amazing resource. “I don’t think I can do that either.”
In the end, Damien became completely mute and I said, twisting the corner of my mouth.
“Let me guess how that was possible? You did not attack the Count of Baden. “It is certain that I have fallen into Archduke Leopold’s trap, so he must have been preparing to abandon Nancy in advance and run away, thinking that there would be no point in pushing the Count of Baden if I were defeated.”
I asked, looking at Damien with a pale face.
“is not it?”
“That…”
“Yes, just like you said, even if I came to the south, I probably wouldn’t have been fit for battle. However, if they had headed south, they would have been able to surround the retreating imperial army from front and back and destroy them. Seeing that you retreated without any damage, it appears that Count Baden’s counterattack, which he was concerned about, did not have the strength to do so. “Am I wrong?”
“I’m so sorry! “Your Excellency the Marquis!”
Damien knelt right in front of me.
“…under.”
I opened my mouth again when I saw Damien’s shoulders shaking at my sigh.
“Actually, I was planning to award you a medal for your amazing performance in Alsace.”
Damien flinched and raised his head, and I declared with a grin.
“It has become something that never happened.”
Damien looked like he was crying, but soon managed to control his expression.
It was both absurd and funny, so I burst out laughing and got up.
“Hey Count Mirbeau.”
“Yes yes. “His Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette.”
I walked in front of Damien and helped him up from his knees.
“I’ll skip it this time. First of all, my order was followed and the damage was ultimately reduced. It’s a shame that we couldn’t annihilate Archduke Leopold’s army, but it’s too much to hold you responsible for that because it’s just a result theory. How could you possibly think I would win there? yes?”
“Yes, no, no!”
As I approached him, Damien’s body became stiff.
“by the way. “Would I be angry or not if I were on the front line, fighting with knives and bullets, while my subordinate was avoiding combat for the sake of his own survival?”
“This will never happen again!”
I stretched out Damien’s completely frozen collar with my hand and whispered to him.
“I will watch. Let’s do our best, okay?”
Just try one more time.
* * *
Germanburg, the capital of the Germanian Empire.
Kaiserin Cecilia was watching the Minister of Finance measure the enormous amount of silver accumulated with cold, sunken eyes.
She consciously ignored the large man standing tall in front of her and the woman in a stylish admiral uniform.
“I am sure about the quantity you mentioned, Kaiserin.”
Only after hearing the Minister of Finance’s answer did Cecilia turn her gaze to look at the large man.
A man about two heads taller than her and wearing intimidating jet-black armor.
The two horns on the head of a man with his arms crossed, adorning both shoulders of his armor with the split crown of the Demon King, rise into the sky.
“Thank you, Kaizerin Cecilia, for using Abyss Corporation’s loan.”
The man, Bael, the CEO of Pride, opened his mouth calmly.
Public opinion within the empire was optimistic about the war situation thanks to the success of taking Alsace and Lorraine shortly after the start of the war, but Cecilia was well aware of the fact that the imperial army was suffering serious damage due to Frangia’s delayed battle.
So, to ensure victory, they received reinforcements from not only the feudal lords but also the Northern United Kingdom. This loaned silver will be used to pay them.
“…The contract has been concluded. “Let’s just leave now.”
If only he took the throne of Francia, he could make up for this much.
Even so, the reality that I had to open my hands to the devils made me feel sick, so my voice naturally came out cold.
“Kaiserin, we receive not only silver but also slaves to repay our loans. If you find it difficult to repay the loan, please consider it as an option-”
“Didn’t I tell you to go away!”
When she got angry and shouted as if she would not be able to repay, Bael nodded without blinking and then turned his back.
“Okay then. “I hope you will use Abyss Corporation again next time.”
“Haha. Good luck to Empress Mama. Ah~ envy. “I wonder when Ras will be able to go to war!”
“There are no plans yet, Barbatos.”
“Boo-boo-”
Cecilia glanced at the two retreating demons and then glanced at the pile of silver.
It was called the Kaiserin of the Empire and the amount was so large that their CEO came in person.
Nevertheless, it is clear that the money power of those devils easily exceeds the economic power of the empire, to the extent that they readily hand over the amount of silver that would be a burden even for the empire.
Cecilia gave instructions to the Minister of Finance, feeling distraught inside.
“…Then divide it and deliver it to the feudal lords and the Northern United Kingdom.”
“I will do so, Kaiserin.”
Archduke Leopold is not treating her as well as she expected, but Cecilia knows very well that there is no replacement for him in the empire, both as a military leader and as a loyalist.
Although Cecilia felt nervous inside, she expected that the Archduke would be able to achieve victory with only 50,000 reinforcements.
But that expectation was shattered the very next moment.
“A report has arrived from the Kaiserin Front!”
Cecilia slowly raised her eyebrows at the sight of the Minister of Military Affairs entering in a hurry.
They suddenly stormed in, saying a report had arrived from the front, but the Minister of Military Affairs was actually empty-handed. Cecilia, who was otherwise uncomfortable because of the demons, became even more uncomfortable.
“You are being overly urgent. But where is the report?”
“That thing.”
“That is?”
“Archduke Leopold ordered me to convey this directly to the Kaiser…”
As soon as Cecilia heard those words, she jumped up from her seat.
* * *
Emperor Otto II silently approached Cecilia, who ran to the emperor’s palace in a huff, and told her the report he was holding in his hand.
Cecilia took the report and read it with trembling hands.
The report described a rotation taking place in the plains west of Besançon.
The story is that a 90,000-strong force fought against a 50,000-strong French army and was on the verge of victory, but barbarian reinforcements suddenly arrived and they suffered a crushing defeat.
When Cecilia read that she had retreated to Alsace after losing 50,000 of her 90,000 troops, she felt the sky turn yellow.
The same number of troops as the reinforcements she had sent while opening her hands to the demons, believing that victory would be certain, were lost in a single battle.
We are deeply grateful for the Kaiser’s grace in sending reinforcements, but as the fighting spirit of the Frangian army is high and there are reinforcements from the Queen Saint and barbarians, there are concerns of even greater casualties if the war continues, and when it comes to the fact that the reinforcements sent may not be enough, Cecilia’s My hands started shaking.
Archduke Leopold’s report ended with a request for the Kaiser to make a decision to end the war and to punish him for failing to live up to his expectations despite trusting in him and entrusting him with his duties.
The Minister of Military Affairs actually had Cecilia as his master, not Otto II, so he delivered the message directly to the Kaiser, not to the Minister of Military Affairs.
Cecilia knows the Archduke’s absolute loyalty, so she entrusted him with the job, but his loyalty is not directed to Cecilia.
That fact was overlooked.
Cecilia swallowed dry saliva, slowly lowered the report she had just finished reading, and opened her mouth.
“…your majesty.”
Although Cecilia was a powerful figure in the empire, this was only possible because of the emperor’s support and acquiescence.
If the emperor withdraws his support, Cecilia becomes nothing more than a foreign empress.
She also sacrificed countless soldiers of the empire for her throne.
“50,000… That’s a lot of loss, Cecilia.”
After hearing Otto’s words, Cecilia closed her eyes tightly and lowered her head.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. “I was not good enough and I put pressure on Your Majesty.”
Cecilia strengthened her resolve as she watched Otto slowly approach her.
But Otto lifted Cecilia’s hand and kissed the back of it.
“It looks like the Grand Duke is old too.”
“Your Majesty.”
Otto continued while even Cecilia was confused.
“You have prepared so much for me, but you want to end the war with a crushing defeat. Are you really the hero of the empire that was so loyal to me?”
Cecilia couldn’t say anything.
She has been devoted to the empire until now.
With the absolute trust of the emperor, who had fallen to the ground due to consecutive defeats by Francia and Krafte, he reformed, reorganized, and rebuilt the empire.
Not only for the sake of the empire, but also to find her own place.
It was a time of perseverance, and seeing Franzia in crisis as the revolution broke out, she saw it as an opportunity to finally be rewarded for her hard work.
But still.
“It makes no sense to end the war like this. “You mean to throw down the authority of the imperial family, which you worked so hard to build…”
Even though Cecilia had inflicted a serious blow on the empire, she showed no sign of anything in front of the emperor who muttered and caressed her hand as if it were a treasure. I couldn’t even think of it.
“Cough, cough…”
Otto, who had been caressing Cecilia’s hand for a moment, let go and let out a dry cough.
Almost reflexively, as always, I lifted the cup of water on the desk and handed it to Otto, who took it and quenched his thirst.
After a while, Otto opened his mouth.
“Continue the war, Cecilia. Until we win.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
If this war ends like this, Cecilia will lose all the authority she has built up over the years.
Even though I knew that, I thought it was a gamble worth taking.
I couldn’t miss the opportunity to give back to her for her unfortunate childhood.
I chose that path because it was the only one, but Cecilia was prepared to accept the consequences if she failed.
-If you long for what you have lost and lose what is left, only more suffering remains. I hope Your Majesty never has to experience something like that.
The words of my half-brother, a childish saint who knew nothing, echoed in my head.
“Tell me what you want, Cecilia. “Is it okay to dismiss the Archduke?”
Cecilia did not know whether to be thrilled or saddened by her husband’s willingness to abandon his most loyal relative, who had given advice directly to the Kaiser, for her.
“…No, no, Your Majesty. He is the best general we have ever had. “I just wasn’t lucky.”
“If that is what you mean, then so be it.”
At this moment, Cecilia truly pitied Archduke Leopold.
She also drove countless soldiers to the battlefield. The empire paid the price.
But it was not meant to destroy the empire.
At least Cecilia intended to make the empire stronger by seizing the throne of Francia.
Because she is not the princess of Francia, but the Kaiserin of the Empire.
-Does Your Highness have such a determination? Are you going to stand on the same battlefield as the soldiers you are sending to battle? Have you ever thought about the families who will be saddened by their deaths?
That’s why I can’t forget my half-brother’s interrogation.
I remember the letter sent by Charles II of the Kingdom of Krafte.
If Archduke Leopold judged it that way, the war should end now.
Even if all of Cecilia’s years of hard work were in vain, the empire can still be restored now.
“You can dispose of all of the imperial family’s assets. You can sacrifice as many soldiers as you want. “Please lead the war to victory, Cecilia.”
But it wasn’t Otto.
What matters to him is not the empire, but his authority over her.
“Those who laughed at my defeat have no value to me. “It was you who stayed by my side when I was having a hard time, and it was you who gave me back the authority I had lost.”
Isn’t it your country?
Aren’t you the people you must protect?
Even if I don’t, you should cherish it.
-Your Highness. How is such an act different from Abama, who ignored Your Majesty’s sorrow and suffering and sent her to the empire?
While Cecilia, who was still obsessed with the words of her younger brother who would be with the enemy soldiers on the battlefield, could not bear to say anything, her beloved husband and emperor of the empire said cynically.
“Without you, the empire is nothing.”
Cecilia closed her eyes.
She loves Otto.
From the moment Princess Cecilia was sold into an arranged marriage even before she could establish her identity as a Frangian, she was a woman of the emperor and the empire.
Cecilia slowly opened her eyes, bowed deeply and spoke.
“…I follow the Kaiser’s will.”
But Otto.
My beloved husband.
If you weren’t the emperor of this empire, I would never have loved you.
