Episode 81 Governor’s Government –
On the way out of Rosemary Dillus.
Crocs and his people held a grand farewell ceremony.
Hassan did not shed many tears as he saw off his younger brother Shandra, who was leaving on a long journey with us.
With a worn-out face that was unbefitting his age, he said, ‘This guy is our representative. It’s the worst thing in the world.’ I just made the same silent expression.
The people who went with us as envoys seemed to have gotten rid of their prejudices to some extent thanks to the great welcome and appearance they showed, and were quite impressed by the sight of orcs, goblins and human beasts gathered together and waving at us.
When I first came down from the gate to report that the King of the Orcs was requesting a meeting, I never imagined that our relationship would become like this.
I am fortunate to be able to return to Franzia with a proud heart.
* * *
After a short journey, summer is over and we are entering fall.
We arrived in the capital Lumière.
However, as soon as I arrived at the mansion, there was a mountain of work waiting for me.
“Welcome back to the capital, Your Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette.”
Louis Desget, who rushed in faster than anyone else, smiled with a face showing deep fatigue.
“Thank you for your hard work, Commander Deje.”
“What’s on this side is a report on the training process conducted under the Grande École plan and documents that require approval. This is a report and documents on the Northern Army.”
“Thank you…kun.”
I was very eager to see Christine’s face when I arrived in the capital, but I couldn’t put off doing this in front of her, who must have been going through a hard time instead of me.
“If you look at the details, you will see that the training for ordinary soldiers to use magic power is quite… hmm. “I feel a bit sorry to say this, but it falls below my expectations.”
“is it.”
I opened the report and quickly skimmed through it.
I expected it to some extent.
War horses are expensive and cavalry are high-quality personnel.
Among them, the heavy cavalry was the most elite among the general soldiers and was trained closest to the selected knights.
Naturally, there were many such people who achieved results with just a little magical training, and after going through a training process, they were able to demonstrate abilities that far exceeded those of ordinary soldiers.
However, this was not the case for ordinary soldiers who had only undergone basic military training.
The report showed, without filtering, that less than 10% of soldiers showed proficiency in magical powers through months of training, and that among them, only about 1% showed aptitude that could truly be helpful in combat.
Raphael Balian dreamed of an army of superhumans where all commoners could control magic, but unfortunately, the reality was not so easy.
Even 1% is not a negligible number, so if you are prepared, it can be a significant help, but the problem is time and cost.
“I heard that the Germanian Empire is preparing for war.”
“Yes sir. “At the last imperial council, the empress appealed for participation in the war in the name of the Frangian throne, and the princes are said to be mobilizing their troops.”
“Tsk. “That was fast.”
I knew straight away that Germania would come out like that, and Christine had discovered signs that they were preparing for war and told me about it.
However, considering that they lost a huge force like the Royal Guard Magic Corps and retreated after being defeated, the preparation process for war was too fast.
The Germanian Empire is not a country that runs smoothly under the emperor, but is a union of various princely states, so I thought there would be some time before the next war… It is a
public fact that the emperor is half a scarecrow, but to this extent, it is the real power of the empire. This means that the empress’s political capabilities are greater than we think.
Who would have imagined that a woman handed over to Francia as a virtual hostage for peace would take such control of the empire?
“What is the level of control of the Northern Army?”
“Now we can kind of control it.”
I grinned at Deje’s words, which he answered with a tired face.
“You’ve worked really hard, Commander Desget. “Thanks to you, I feel relieved.”
The Northern Army was in fact Raphael Balian’s personal guard.
Even though his command was wiped out in a coup, it is not difficult to imagine how hard and hard he must have worked to get such an answer in such a short period of time.
“Haha, as a member of the Royal Guard, I thought I might die when I surrendered to the revolutionary army. If I meet my superiors well and succeed in life, shouldn’t I have to pay for food?”
“Thank you. Well then, you must have worked hard so go and get some rest. My complexion is not good. “I will take care of the rest after coming from the South.”
“Normally, in times like this, I would say I would help, but…”
Deje smiled softly.
“Thank you sir! “I’ll just leave now!”
“Oh, that’s right… thank you.”
I was thinking of letting it go, but things like that make me want to hold on to it for some reason.
As Deje was struggling with the pile of documents he left behind, the next customer came.
“Welcome back to Lumière, Your Excellency the Marquis! “I cannot hide my joy at seeing His Excellency the Marquis Damien de Mirbeau again-”
“What about the report?”
“yes?”
“Are there any reports on the work done so far?”
I gestured with my chin at the reports of the Northern Army that Dejet had left behind in a pile, and Damien smiled awkwardly.
“No, I’m posting a pile of reports first to the Marquis, who must be tired after a long journey. It’s good to be passionate about work, but isn’t this too inconsiderate?”
“….”
Does this person really care about me, or is it because I’ve been sabotaging my work so far that I don’t have a report to post?
“Okay, thank you for your consideration. “As the new commander of the Confederate Army, I believe he has faithfully performed his duties so far.”
“You mean this! “We are flawlessly carrying out the duties entrusted to us by His Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette and the Count of Aquitaine!”
If you’re Christine, look at how the author, who was shocked, immediately changed his attitude when he recommended you for the position of commander of the Confederate Army.
Damien de Mirbeau is looking at me with a very confident and angled posture.
“…Okay, then I guess I can receive a report on the status of the Confederate Army tomorrow?”
As soon as he heard what I said, his correct posture immediately shook.
“Do you mean tomorrow?”
“Okay, tomorrow. “I will be very grateful for your consideration, but even so, the Germanian Empire is preparing for war, so how can I prepare without knowing the situation of the Southern Army?”
“Of course. Your Excellency the Marquis. As the commander-in-chief of the revolutionary army, you truly have an attitude that can serve as a role model! Tomorrow, tomorrow… Of course, I will submit everything. dismissal.”
Damien answers in a cold sweat. It looks like the Southern Army Headquarters will be staying up all night today.
“Just in case, you remember that I was the commander of the Confederate Army before I became commander-in-chief, right? “I look forward to it.”
If you make a false statement and get caught, you will die.
“Do you mean this, Your Excellency? “Then I’ll just leave!”
“okay. “Good luck, Commander.”
Damien de Mirbeau quickly disappeared as if running away.
In many ways, he is less trustworthy than Deje, who is a model administrative soldier, but he fights surprisingly well in the field.
…Especially when fighting a defensive battle when outnumbered.
So, if you just throw it in a place like that, it will pay for itself.
Thinking like that made me feel a little better, and my handling of the documents sped up.
From the looks of it, as Deje said, it appears that the Northern Army’s personnel reorganization and handover have been completed, and in the meantime, preparations are being made to form new units in preparation for the return of former Northern Army commanders.
It may not be completely satisfactory, but at this rate we won’t be held back by the aftermath of Balian’s coup.
As the paperwork was being sorted out, a new visitor arrived.
“…Christine.”
“Thank you, Pierre.”
As always, Christine wore a black dress reminiscent of mourning clothes, held a fan in her hand, and smiled with her eyes wide.
“I’m sorry, I have to go find you first.”
“no. “I thought you must have been very busy, so I left some time for you to do some work…”
Christine glanced at the documents left on my desk and gently tilted her head.
“Am I in the way?”
“No, that can’t be possible.”
Christine grinned after hearing my answer.
“Then can you give us some time to serve tea?”
* * *
Christine brewed the tea herself and poured it into my cup.
“It’s Rosemary. “It relieves some of my fatigue and makes my mind clearer, so I drink it often when I’m working.”
“Oh, thank you.”
As I raise the glass and drink it, a warm yet cool feeling goes down my throat.
“Good.”
To be honest, I was worried about seeing her face because of the succubus that looked like damn Gremory, but her calm atmosphere and tea seemed to clear my mind.
“thank god.”
Christine grinned.
“How have you been since I came back?”
“It was the same as always. ah-.”
Christine, who was answering my question, tilted her head for a moment and then opened her mouth again.
“While you were returning, a trade agreement with the Alpine Kingdom was concluded.”
“Oh really?”
“yes. Talleyrand, president of the Revolutionary Party, came forward. From what I heard, you were angry at the dwarves for criticizing our wine, so you hired a chef and analyzed their food culture to impress and persuade them with the dishes you prepared?”
Christine smiled and opened her fan.
“He’s a fun guy, right? Anyway, thanks to Governor Talleyrand, even the arrogant dwarves listened to our story seriously, and we were able to import their high-quality weapons using mithril.”
“That’s fun again.”
I expected that the mithril that I would obtain in the south through the deal with Crocs would be used as a trade material, but I did not expect that the stubborn dwarves would so quickly accept a deal that they had once rejected.
We were having trouble importing weapons because we could not make a deal with Abyss Corporation, but this will greatly resolve that problem.
Thanks to the National Assembly, which was outraged that its attempts to contact the Eastern Empire were unilaterally blocked, naval training is also in progress.
The Republic’s army, which was operating in a haphazard manner, will finally be able to operate properly.
As I was again savoring the tea that Christine had prepared, she quietly looked at me and opened her mouth.
“Then is it now time to bring the saint up on stage?”
“you’re right. Oh yeah. Where is Eris?”
“I’m doing charity work. We’re probably close to the capital now. “I traveled almost all over the country during the summer while you were away.”
“Then, Her Royal Highness’s face will soon become famous to almost everyone in the country.”
“yes that’s right. “It’s just as we planned.”
Christine looked at me for a moment, smiled, and opened her mouth.
“That’s interesting. “We, who were nobles but devoted ourselves to the republic, have now established a firm position in the republic, and are now enthroning the queen again.”
After a brief pause, she folded the fan she was holding in her hand and added.
“…People who don’t know much might think that we only make choices that run counter to the situation we find ourselves in.”
I also burst out laughing and answered.
“Iknow, right. But it was only possible because you believed in me and helped me.”
Christine grinned.
A space where I face black eyes that look directly at me with a natural smile.
There was an uncomfortable silence shared with warm tea.
I enjoyed the comfort for a moment and then quietly opened my mouth.
“…I missed you, Christine.”
Christine blinked once, but then smiled softly and answered.
“Me too, Pierre.”
I got up from my seat, walked in front of her, and got down on one knee.
When I offer my hand to Christine, she naturally gives it to me.
4 years since regression. My happiness and the person I must protect during a time when nothing was certain.
“Can I kiss you?”
While blushing slightly, she nodded and slowly kissed the back of her hand and looked up. Christine hesitated a bit and then bowed.
They shared a careful yet gentle kiss, different from the thirst shown in the succubus’ fantasy.
The scents of Christine and Rosemary mixed and filled my body with a fragrant and warm sensation.
Feeling a sense of satisfaction, I gently hugged Christine and she slowly tilted her head and rested it on my shoulder.
“How is Lewis doing?”
“Yes, we are sending letters back and forth. I guess that kid has quite a talent for magic.”
“is it so.”
I was a bit surprised when Christine suddenly announced that she was sending Louis to the Magic Kingdom to study, but he seems to be doing well.
I was concerned that the decision to keep Louise alive would only lead to further trauma for Christine, but it seems unlikely that the boy who tried to protect his sister during the attack will now try to harm her.
Rather.
“…I guess I’m only 12 now.”
“yes.”
I have to wait another 6 years until Lewis comes of age.
“Why don’t you grow up a little faster?”
When I spoke softly, Christine burst into laughter.
“Do you regret it?”
I smiled and let go of her as I heard a small whisper in my ear.
Even if you regret everything else, you will never regret this choice.
“I can’t believe that the reason I’m going through all this trouble is for that time.”
Christine smiled brightly at my confident answer and stretched out her arms to hug my neck.
The second kiss was a little deeper and longer, as if trying to fill up the faint scent of rosemary.