Episode 151 Krafte War – Vanguard
Lorraine Nancy.
The morale of the Confederate army, which retreated to Nancy after engaging for the first time against Krafte’s army, was extremely low.
It was shocking and scary just to see that the defense line built along the river was breached all at once, but Damien de Mirbeau and his ‘Mirbeau Line’, which played a major role in the war against the Empire, collapsed in vain.
In particular, the morale of the entire revolutionary army was shaken when the southern soldiers, who had personally witnessed the might of Krafte’s army on the front line, began to report their eyewitness accounts.
Louis Daquiten sat dazed in one corner of the barracks, pondering his helplessness.
-I understand because it’s my first time, but I can’t do this for long if I’m struggling with something like that. I go for a walk to change my mood.
Sergeant Durand said that and walked out, acting nonchalantly.
But Lewis simply couldn’t do that.
I knew that our opponent was a strong enemy, and I also understood that we had been caught off guard.
However, in order to help his sister, he went through all that trouble and became a wizard to be of help to the Marquis de Lafayette, whom his sister loved dearly.
He was treated as a talent at the Magic Tower, and his actual grades were excellent. Graduating early is not something everyone can do.
The wise man tried to dissuade him, but Lewis still had confidence that something like this would be helpful.
But the reality was harsh.
No matter how hard he struggled, the contribution he could make on a huge battlefield was not that great.
While the friendly forces were brutally defeated, the only achievement Lewis achieved was to slightly delay the enemy’s crossing by destroying a few pontoon bridges.
“Haaa…”
Just as I was about to let out a deep sigh, I heard a familiar voice from outside.
“Ensign Aquitaine, may you excuse me for a moment?”
“Oh yes four!”
Lewis jumped up and saluted the incoming major.
Giselle Darby roughly accepted the salute and gestured as if to make herself at home.
Then he looked at Lewis’ face and laughed.
“I guess it was a shock as expected.”
“Oh, that’s…”
Lewis made an embarrassed face.
“Are you here because of me? sorry.”
Giselle Darby replied with a grin.
“It is true that I came here because of the second lieutenant in Aquitaine, but there is no need to be sorry. Anyway, I came here after receiving instructions. “A general somewhere has been telling us that we must not let our precious wizard’s morale be broken.”
“Hahaha…”
Louis laughed softly and Giselle also smiled.
“Don’t worry too much. “Defeat is always a possibility on the battlefield, and the Aquitaine second lieutenant played a sufficient role in the last battle.”
“Is that so…”
“Rather, I would like to praise the Aquitaine lieutenant.”
“yes?”
“Because it was my first real match. “He deserves praise just for doing his job without panicking in a battlefield where people were dying and bullets and shells were raining down.”
“…Is that so.”
Lewis answered bitterly.
Did the higher-ups initially not have high expectations for the master who grew up and received education at the Magic Tower?
No, it’s not unreasonable.
The first time Louis Daquiten saw someone die was when he was 8 years old.
It was like his mother and her retainers were executed before his eyes.
From then on, I couldn’t sleep properly for almost a month, and for the next few years, I had forgettable nightmares.
If he hadn’t had that experience, would he have behaved even worse on the battlefield than he does now?
As Lewis was lost in thought, a small bottle was thrust in front of his eyes.
“Uh, Major Darby?”
“Drink it, it’s honey water. “It may not be much to a noble family, but it’s quite a luxury on the battlefield, so I’m grateful.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Lewis drank the drink, which was still lukewarm, perhaps because it had been warmed.
The sweetness spread across my mouth and the feeling of a soft, warm liquid flowing down my throat made me feel a little calmed down.
“…It seems to be getting a little better.”
Giselle smiled and answered.
“If you feel like things are getting better, don’t just sit here and tremble, take a look around. “But since you are a high-quality person who is treated specially, you don’t have any missions during peacetime, right?”
“Is this special treatment? So, are you using honorifics towards me?”
“Well, that’s right. “Even though he’s a second lieutenant, he’s a high-ranking wizard who graduated from the Magic Tower, so he’s a high-ranking member of the military, and as a bonus, he’s the master of the Aquitaine family.”
Lewis hesitated a little and then spoke.
“I don’t really want to be treated special like that…”
“Really? “Then shall I treat you like a second lieutenant?”
When Louis nodded slightly confusedly at Giselle’s tone, which immediately changed her stance, Giselle grinned and slapped Louis on the back with a loud sound.
“Ahh?!”
“You have received a luxurious education thanks to the Count of Aquitaine, but you are acting as if you have all the misfortune in the world! Wake up, ensign!”
“Four four!”
When Louis woke up without realizing it, Giselle grabbed his shoulders with both hands and opened them with a loud crack.
“Ugh!?”
“Spread your shoulders! Lift your head up and keep your back straight! “If you want to be treated like a soldier, act like one!”
“Yes yes four! All right!”
When Louis was shocked and corrected his posture, Giselle looked at his posture here and there and nodded and said.
“Okay, that’s a bit better. From now on, keep doing that, so-called. “Don’t be crushed.”
“Yes, I understand…”
“You’re such a brat that you’re losing strength! Is it still not enough?”
“Four, I understand!”
When Louis reflexively straightened his posture and answered vigorously, Giselle finally smiled, tapped Louis on the shoulder, and opened her mouth.
“No matter what the ensign thinks, it is true that the abilities the ensign has are quite useful. General Mirbeau also has some expectations, and I received help from the second lieutenant in the last battle. “There will probably be a lot of requests for this or that in the future.”
As Louis was swallowing dry saliva, Giselle continued.
“Don’t be too nervous though. We don’t ask for more than the second lieutenant can do, and we can’t help but feel intimidated by a sense of responsibility. Still, if you’re worried, you can come to me at any time. Even though General Mirbo is roasting me, I will personally take good care of the second lieutenant.”
“Thank you. “That…”
“Huh?”
“I thought you were used to dealing with people.”
Giselle blinked and answered.
“I have a lot of younger brothers. “Originally, there was an older sister up there…”
Lewis then closed his mouth because he thought it was a mistake.
But Giselle seemed to roll her eyes a little and answered casually.
“He wasn’t the type of person who would run away and abandon his younger siblings, but he suddenly disappeared. So, I’ve done a lot of taking care of kids. But I’m lucky… no.”
Giselle seemed to choose her words for a moment, then answered with a grin.
“Maybe it’s thanks to my sister, but fortunately we didn’t have to worry about starving. So don’t make that face, lieutenant. “It’s a pretty common story in commoner families.”
“Oh that. “It’s not that I harbor any sympathy or anything.”
“Of course you should. “If that was the case, I would have beaten you one more time.”
Louis only smiled bitterly as he watched Giselle speak lightly and without much thought.
* * *
Revolutionary army headquarters in Nancy.
The revolutionary army that had been deployed in various places, including the army that retreated from Alsace, is gathering under my instructions.
I stepped away from Alsace and opened my mouth, looking at Damien de Mirbeau, who was swallowing dry saliva in front of me.
“Count Damien de Mirbeau.”
“Yes old! “His Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette!”
“Confederate Commander.”
“Yes…”
“…Director of Alsace Defense Forces.”
“…”
I deliberately took a pause and then opened my mouth.
“Do you have anything to say?”
“I’m so sorry. Your Excellency the Marquis. But in that situation, there was nothing I could do to save my men. If I had fought against the Krafte army there, my troops would have been annihilated before reinforcements arrived-”
“Ah, your judgment was excellent.”
Damien’s face lit up when he heard what I said.
“Thanks to you, your army has been able to maintain some of its strength, and we plan to take on Krafte.”
“Turn around…”
I chuckled as Damien seemed to suddenly shrink again.
“We could defend ourselves through urban fighting, but we have too many troops and the enemy has a large number of howitzers. “Naturally, the damage to the city will be severe, so it’s a big burden to make a choice before even trying.”
“Your words are well said, Your Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette.”
“However, the morale of the revolutionary army is very low because you, the ‘master of defense’, failed to fight properly from the beginning and fled. “That’s why.”
Damien shrugged his shoulders at the name he would normally proudly say, ‘Master of Defense’, but when he heard what I said next, he asked me a question with a puzzled look on his face.
“yes?”
“Someone other than me will explain next time.”
“Yes yes?”
While Damien was panicking, the other door opened and a person wearing a familiar white robe entered.
“Hee hee hee yeo yeo yeo yeo yeo yeo yeo yeo yeo majesty!”
Damien was so scared that it couldn’t even be compared to what was in front of me, and he fell flat on the floor.
Eris isn’t a particularly authoritative queen, so seeing him act like that makes me wonder if Damien really has a gynophobia…
Or, more accurately, is he afraid of Christine and Eris?
“Before the battle, I will personally conduct a ceremony to bless Count Mirbeau and the Confederate Army.”
Damien responded to Eris’ clear voice without even raising his head.
“It’s an honor, it’s an honor. The soldiers will also be happy…”
“And I will be at the vanguard with the Count’s army.”
“Yes yes?!”
Damien was horrified, raised his head, and looked as if the world had collapsed.
To be honest, I made a similar expression when I first heard it, so I feel like I want to sympathize with Damien this time.
Eris walked in front of Damien with light steps and stretched out her hand to him.
When Damien held Eris’s hand with an almost distraught expression, Eris naturally helped him stand up.
Because of the height difference, even though Eris is looking up, it feels like Damien is bowing down below.
“Just in case, I’m asking, the Count, you really stepped down to save the lives of the soldiers and protect Francia, right?”
“That’s right, Your Majesty.”
“I swear to God?”
“I swear, Your Majesty!”
Eris lifted the hood of her robe.
Long silver hair poured down like a waterfall. Eris smiled kindly with playful purple eyes and opened her mouth.
“thank god. “If the Count had retreated because he was too scared, I was worried that we would have to go through ‘repentance therapy’ again before we could go together.”
Damien was now starting to hiccup and tremble like an aspen.
Repentance treatment?
Oh, that… whipping?
“I can trust the Count and come forward together, right? Are you willing to join me in the vanguard for this country and its victory?”
“Mumu, of course, Your Majesty! “Damien de Mirbeau, I will dedicate my whole life and use all my abilities for Her Majesty and Francia!”
What was contained in Damien de Mirbeau’s voice, shouting more desperately than ever, was closer to a determination to survive than a will to fight.
After hearing Damien’s answer, Eris smiled with her purple eyes rolling, then turned to me and said.
“This will solve a lot of the military morale problems, right?”
Ah, what a headache.
okay.
Even if the opponent is not the Krafte army but the Demon King army, there is no army that can run away while the Holy Maiden King is performing miracles on the front line.
I answered, placing my hand on my forehead.
“Yes, Your Majesty. The morale problem of the soldiers will be solved. Instead, there is a minor problem that it seems like the National Assembly will grab me by the collar and shake me.”
Eris smiled brightly and responded to my words.
“I believe the Marquis will do something about that. “Because you are my sponsor.”
…She was originally very playful, but seeing her change like this makes me think I raised her incorrectly.
I glanced at Damien next to me, who was looking like he was about to lose his soul, then sighed and answered.
“Would it be possible? “I must fulfill my responsibilities as it is Her Majesty the Queen to whom I owe allegiance.”
After hearing my answer, Eris answered energetically with sparkling purple eyes.
“great. “We must win! I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t want to lose to that great king!”
It seems that our queen has the highest morale in the revolutionary army…
Is there an answer to the fact that the queen, who needs to be protected more than anyone else, will stand at the forefront?
It’s an army, a general, a commander, and you have to persevere through evil.
