Never Again War! Never Again War!
The eastern region of the Krantz Empire featured a long peninsula jutting out to the east, a geography that had shielded it from the least influence of the Outer Gods. The narrow isthmus had once allowed a separate kingdom—not part of the Empire—to flourish in the distant past. That kingdom's history was one endless war with the Empire, and traces of it could be found everywhere in the east. The checkpoint currently being hammered by the gleeful Eastern Expeditionary Force was yet another remnant of that history.
"HEAD-SMASHING TIME!"
BOOM---!
"Whoa! War! Never war!"
"The Empire calls us! Never again war! Never again war!"
"Mom, I'm so happy! Thanks for having me!! I love you!!!!!!"
"WAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"
The demonic roars of war-mad fiends. Knights and soldiers who had enlisted in the Imperial Army because they loved battle. Due to the catastrophic losses from the Great Calamity, the Empire's recruitment numbers had dwindled to nothing, leaving the current army as a gathering of monsters among monsters.
But military operations? Mobilization? With the Empire's finances so barren they were scraping the bottom of the barrel just to keep going, that was impossible. Instead, they spent more time on farm reclamation and civilian support than training—a sorry state of affairs.
But today was the day they could finally vent their frustrations.
"Proceed as trained! Siege rams, target one side of the gate! Fuck, you idiots got hit—why are you just standing there staring?! You think one hit will break it?! If you don't wanna die, grab that thing and haul ass back to the rear!"
"SORRY, SIRRRR!!"
"Javelin troops! Hurl spears at the walls the instant the ram pulls back! Once they're stuck, we've got a way up!! Don't aim, just throw, you fucks!!!!"
"Javelin toss! Throw!"
"JAVELIN!!!"
It was a monster's revenge.
Three companies of siege ram units lined up in a row, keeping distance from the gate. The lead ram charged like a mad bull and slammed into the gate. When it reached the midpoint, the second ram started its run. Midway for the second, the third followed suit. Then they wheeled left, returned to position, and prepared to charge again. In those brief gaps, javelin troops rained spears on the walls nonstop.
Repeating this, they battered the checkpoint without respite. It was a tactic that used the central Empire as a shield to hammer the complacent east. Thanks to this insane strategy, the soldiers holding the checkpoint would rather die.
"HEAD-SMASHING TIME!!!"
BOOM---!
"Guh...! Those crazy bastards... How the hell are they hitting every ten seconds..."
"Mom, I wanna go home..."
Why had they rebelled against the Empire? The soldier's mind flashed to his mother clutching him as he left.
"Stop holding out and open the damn gate!!!"
BOOM---!
"GRRRAAAGH...!"
"You pathetic shits! Hold! Hold and reinforcements will come! You took their support—earn your keep, damn it?!"
Yes. They had walked into this war themselves. As the Empire staggered from the Great Calamity's aftermath, they had slowly slipped from its influence, biding their time until it could no longer reach the east. The eastern nobles taught the ignorant masses their history, instilling a sense of belonging to the east, not the Empire. The east is not the Empire! The Empire is the invader that annexed us by force! We haven't given up! Once that sentiment took root, they planned to rise against the Empire.
But...
"Javelin toss! Throw!"
"JAVELIN!"
"GYAAAAH! My arm! My arm!!"
"Guhk... Hack...."
"Baron, sir! Spears are sticking in the walls! At this rate, they'll climb up!! Give orders! Please, just give orders!!!"
Overwhelmed by the assault, soldiers fell one by one. How had it come to this? It wasn't time yet. Most eastern commoners still felt loyalty to the Empire, limiting their recruitment. Loyalist nobles remained among them too—rebelling now meant certain death.
To buy time, the baron yelled, leaning against the wall.
"Eeeeek...! You mad fucks! We're still part of the Empire too! Part of the goddamn Empire...!!"
"Ha! Bullshit! Think we didn't see the gallery post you used for recruitment?! You gonna claim someone else wrote that call for soldiers to serve a kingdom in the east, not the Empire!!"
The sudden news of the Imperial Eastern Expedition. The Empire had sealed information leaks, leaving the already outmatched eastern nobles unprepared, just taking hits.
If they hadn't gathered troops and shot themselves in the foot with that gallery post, it might not have escalated to war... But that post gave the Empire perfect justification to show no mercy to the rebels.
"Baron, please!!! It's breaking! The gate! The gate's breaking!!!"
"HEAD-SMASHING TIME!!!!"
BOOM---!
"GYAAAAAAAAH...!"
"Gate's breached! Breach knights, charge in! Once knights secure it, infantry follow! Javelin fucks—what's wrong with you? The throwers are outdoing the chargers! Javelin drills before lunch today! Got it?!"
"YES SIRRRR!!!"
"Into the checkpoint!!! Slay the traitors who dared rebel against the Empire!!!!"
"WAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Knights poured in endlessly, followed by infantry. The knight yelling at the baron had vanished. Soldiers threw down weapons and surrendered.
"U, uwaaaaaah!"
Unable to face the terror, some nameless eastern noble fled in fear of death, cursing the Empire that had taken everything from him. Thus, the Divide Checkpoint—iron gate between central Empire and east—fell.
Thud thud thud thud thud
"What the hell is going on...?"
Another hectic day in the bunker. I was staring, dumbfounded, at a pinned gallery post.
Commander Adrian of the Eastern Expeditionary Force, interim report.
Arrived at Divide Checkpoint without issues en route.
Expedition launched to punish nobles ignoring the muster order. Enemy forces confirmed at checkpoint.
Attempted dialogue, but checkpoint refused. Insulting remarks against the Empire continued from atop the walls.
Confirmed recruitment post by an eastern noble on the gallery.
Deemed all within checkpoint as traitors. Engaged in combat.
Checkpoint captured. Per commander's judgment, all personnel inside executed.
Exception: 'Percival Augustus Pennyworth,' responsible for checkpoint defense, taken alive. Interrogation for intel, then execution pending.
Area around checkpoint too chaotic for pics.
End report.
After Sora's body production was finalized, I'd been lounging in the bunker for three straight days without stepping out. No info posting was weirdly suspicious, so I'd been monitoring the gallery anxiously—then bam, war news hit.
"Did the east get forcibly annexed or something? Why so rebellious?"
Muttering to myself, I glanced at Sora's chat window as usual.
The eastern region of the Krantz Empire was a isolated terrain that hosted a separate kingdom until about 200 years ago. However, unable to withstand competition with the Empire, it voluntarily submitted. Most nobles were incorporated into the Empire with minor title changes. Post-annexation, central Imperial support spurred massive economic growth, flexible wealth distribution raised commoners' living standards—no independence attempts, and many commoners rose in status during this era.
However, efforts toward independence seem to have begun around 80 years ago, during the reign of the previous emperor, recorded as the Empire's worst tyrant. These efforts likely intensified after the Great Calamity.
"Aha... Thanks, Sora."
Sora had spoon-fed me the full backstory at a glance. So, they prospered under the Empire, took all they could, then schemed to break away when the Empire weakened?
"Deserve to die. Almost felt sorry for 'em."
I kept casually browsing the gallery, killing time. Hoping the Wave would end soon.
Once it did, this house would have two people and two beasts living together. Sitting down to eat with someone... After years alone even before coming here, I was really looking forward to it.