Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Factional Strife in Norobogord
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Around the time Kael Clauvitz returned to the capital as a rising star, making a name for himself.
"A shooting star falls, only to rise again! We've missed the perfect chance for victory because of you weak-kneed Dove Faction fools in power!"
"Shut your mouths, you idiots! It's because of the brain-dead commander and staff your Hawk Faction shoved in there that even the War God Anbar shook his head in disgust!"
"Cowards!"
"Warmongering lunatics!"
In the Norobogord Demon Alliance, they were hurling insults at each other.
For now, the council was firmly in the grip of the Dove Faction. The Hawk Faction leaders had been forced into retirement.
But that didn't mean every Hawk Faction force within Norobogord had been purged—not by a long shot.
The Hawks could never be completely eradicated. Not as long as the Empire existed.
Even if the Empire vanished, they'd just set their sights on another nation and rise again.
And so, when the army that had advanced near the border turned back and returned to the capital, Beogran...
"All commanders, report to the council immediately!"
"Defeated even in small skirmishes, and returning with an even greater humiliation! You'll testify to every detail!"
The Doves went after each other their way, and the Hawks theirs. They were all out to tear one another apart.
Naturally, that meant pinning the army's failure on each other.
"Why didn't you launch a night raid the moment the shooting star fell?"
"Commander, answer now! Why didn't you press the attack while the momentum was on our side?!"
"Was a night raid too cowardly for you? Huh? Speak up!"
First, the Doves hounded the commander, who belonged to the Hawk side, relentlessly.
The one at the top had to take the blame when things went wrong.
Even within the same faction, there was no mercy in this situation—let alone against the opposing side?
The demon councilors tore into him like hunting dogs ripping apart a bleeding deer, wielding words as their blades.
"Th-that's..."
"I... I did my utmost. The reason we didn't launch a night raid was—"
"The Imperial Army recovered far too quickly. We couldn't respond."
"Frankly! Who could've predicted the shooting star would rise again?!"
"This is unjust! It was an act of God!!"
No matter how battle-hardened a commander was, the political arena was another battlefield entirely.
And these were monsters forged in the council's fires.
Even a commander with some political instincts couldn't hold out against them.
"Blaming this solely on the commander is problematic!"
Of course, the Hawks didn't just sit idly by under the Dove onslaught.
They'd lost the majority in the council, but their power lingered.
Plus, this was an unprecedented fiasco, so the field commanders needed disciplining too.
And since most of those field commanders were Doves, the Hawks jumped at the chance.
"Looking at the situation, the field commanders constantly protested the commander's orders! They tripped him up at every turn, causing delays in decision-making!"
"This defeat stems mainly from frontline officers resenting higher command. It's borderline insubordination! Isn't it?!"
The two factions' tedious back-and-forth dragged on for over a week after the army's return.
The council devolved into a shouting, cursing marketplace brawl.
Those dignified demon councilors barked like dogs, viciously tearing each other down.
"...Haa."
Sharlua, who had quietly watched it all, couldn't suppress her inevitable sigh.
Whatever the case, Norobogord had taken a clear loss this time. That much she had to admit.
They needed to sort out the blame appropriately and move on to preparations for what came next.
Yet these councilors had spent an entire week just snarling and snapping at each other.
Not all Hawks were lunatics, nor were all Doves saints.
It was simply a tangle of self-interests. No one was purely right or wrong.
Whenever the opposition said something correct, the reflexive response was to call it wrong.
"No wonder Father can't quit smoking..."
...Wait, no. Shouldn't he quit anyway?
She'd heard those harsh cigars were a major health risk.
Though extreme stress was an even bigger culprit, of course.
'...This can't go on. If it drags further, it'll drain Norobogord's national strength too much.'
She hadn't planned to step in. And she shouldn't have.
The Hawks were gunning for Kalland, the council chairman and Dove leader.
To clarify, not assassination.
They aimed to use her recent frontline service—as his daughter—to launch a full assault.
Still, as the chairman's daughter, she carried heavy political weight.
And with no real authority, pinning blame on her was tricky, so they'd held back.
But if Sharlua stepped forward now, it could easily backfire.
"It's better to stay silent."
Kalland had initially tried to stop his daughter, stressing there was no gain.
But at her insistence, he'd essentially given permission with a "Do as you will."
The next day, Sharlua appeared before the council in person.
"Esteemed councilors. First, let me state that I stand here not as the daughter of Council Chairman Kalland Estania, but as a member of our forces who clashed blades with the Imperial Army, however briefly."
She wasn't here for the gain or loss of Doves or Hawks.
The Doves tilted their heads in confusion, while the Hawks pulled back a step to observe.
"Regarding the situation at the time, yes, there was friction between the commander and field officers. But it wasn't enough to disrupt the chain of command. If anything, it was the kind of exchange you'd see in a healthy superior-subordinate dynamic."
"Miss Sharlua. Can there be friction in a healthy dynamic?"
"That sounds like you're saying superiors must always be right and make perfect decisions, while subordinates blindly obey even the stupidest orders. Isn't that so, councilor?"
Hawk councilors raised their voices in outrage at her rudeness.
But the Doves growled back, forcing them to grumble and shut up.
"Subordinates should follow superiors' orders. But if there's an issue, they should at least voice it. And superiors? Ideally, they make the right calls every time. But that's impossible. So they must listen to their juniors. That's a healthy dynamic."
"So you're saying it went well this time."
"Yes. Precisely."
A Dove noble glanced at Kalland before pressing on.
"Then why did things turn out like this, despite that healthy dynamic? From what you say, our army had no issues at all."
"Exactly, councilor. Our army truly had no problems."
Murmurs rippled through the councilors at Sharlua's firm declaration.
Before it could grow, she pressed on.
"Not us in Norobogord—the Empire. We need to focus on the Empire."
"What do you mean, focus on the Empire?"
"The Imperial Army's scheme utterly surpassed our expectations. They knew exactly what decisions we'd make, what actions we'd take—like reading an open palm."
Even thinking back on that moment sent chills down her spine.
How long had they prepared that scheme? How many scenarios had they simulated endlessly?
To leave no gaps. To offer no chance for counterattack.
"The unique battlefield environment. The sudden fog. Morale at rock bottom. The certainty that a full assault was off the table. They accounted for everything and built their plan. Even if it had been a different commander. Even with different field officers. Everyone would've made the same call and the same mistake."
"But I heard the field officers raised doubts."
"They didn't push hard enough. Without full conviction, they deferred to the commander. Councilor."
Further factional bickering was pointless. This council needed to end here.
Draining national strength like this could expose Norobogord's weaknesses.
If the Empire tore up the truce or neighboring states poked at them?
The Doves, freshly in power, would lose ground, and the Hawks would surge back.
"...What if intelligence leaked?"
One tactless Dove councilor clung to the point.
Couldn't he see she was trying to wrap this up?
A curse nearly slipped out, but Sharlua held it back with superhuman patience.
"If it had, would the Imperial Army have let us go so easily? Capturing our main force whole would've been far more profitable."
Her eyes blazed as if ready to tear him apart, yet she spoke as politely as possible. The councilor backed off with a "I-I see!"
'Hoo.'
A sigh escaped. It seemed settled at last.
What a waste of over a week.
'The Imperial strategist might've even planned for this.'
Yeah. High probability. No—definitely.
That mocking letter had surely anticipated this too.
After leaving the council, Sharlua headed to the War Ministry.
"Could you repeat that?"
"I'd like the chain of command for the Imperial Army officers involved this time. Possible?"
"It'll take some time."
"I can wait as long as needed."
She figured knowing the chain would reveal the scheme's architect.
A few days later, with the info in hand, Sharlua pored over it meticulously.
"Legion Commander... staff below... each field officer..."
She scrutinized only the more experienced figures.
Assuming only veterans could devise such a plan.
Then, fresh reports came from spies embedded in the Empire.
The strategist was none other than a fresh-faced young noble scion.
Sharlua was stunned.