Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: Impending War (3)
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"Hm? What's this?"
The secretary who had burst into the office kicked the door open, his face drained of all color.
What he held out was a sealed letter stamped with red wax, the sender unidentified.
I took the letter. Before I could even tear off the wax and check the contents...
-KABOOM!
A deafening roar tore through part of the office space, and a familiar blue magic circle appeared.
"Ugh!"
Before the storm of mana could fully subside, a glimpse of familiar red hair peeked through the rift in space.
The Empire's princess, Lorensia Ruberius.
She leisurely fanned away the lingering mana with an ornate fan, strolling out as casually as if it were her own office.
"Oh my, my treasure. You look a bit startled."
"Princess... at this hour, teleporting in without any prior notice. What brings you here?"
"Something urgent came up."
Her red gaze swept over Erika, who had rushed toward the office at the sound of the explosion, and Iris, whose eyes were a bit wide. Then it shifted back to the letter in my hand.
"And it looks like you've received something quite interesting too?"
Lorensia smiled leisurely and nodded toward me.
"What..."
"Who knows. Maybe one of the old foxes doesn't want you dead after all?"
Dead? What was this out-of-nowhere talk?
I hurriedly tore off the red wax seal.
Inside was a brief message, written in elegant but slightly hurried script.
My mind went ice cold in an instant.
An expedition to the south? No, war was imminent?
Sure, I'd led knights and guards on countless bandit or poacher hunts, but as overall commander of the southern garrison?!
And who wrote this note? How does the princess know about it?!
"Hm... let's see. Judging by the handwriting, it looks like Marquis Brandon? He must have been in quite a hurry. It's a bit scribbled."
Still reeling from the shocking contents of the letter, I stared at the princess.
"Martyrdom... Princess, do you know what's going on here?"
Lorensia narrowed her red eyes, her earlier leisurely smile gone.
"That's pretty much why I'm here."
She glanced at me, then at Erika and Iris standing rigidly behind me.
"The old foxes in the palace are trying to push my treasure into the jaws of death. No time for back-and-forth from Kandoria. Everyone, come closer to me."
"Wait, Princess! Where are you—"
Erika asked urgently, but Lorensia cut her off.
"Valentia Castle. The palace has already informed your parents, so they'll all be gathered there."
Without waiting for a reply, she activated spatial transfer magic once more.
.
.
.
A dizzying blue light warped the space around us, and in the next moment, we stood not in Kandoria's office, but in Valentia Castle's grand conference hall, thick with a familiar heavy air.
And as the princess had said, the heads of both families were all there.
My father, Count George Valerius, with a stern expression. My mother, Erina Valerius, pale-faced and biting her lip. Across from them sat my future father-in-law, Count Peter Argentis, and his wife, both looking grave.
"Father, Mother. And... Count Argentis. Countess Argentis."
With the princess and Iris also present, I addressed them formally, but Mother rushed to me, pale as a ghost, grabbing my arms.
"Jonathan! My son! What is this nonsense? The south! Commander of that death trap?!"
Mother's voice trembled with fear. Father wrapped an arm around her shoulders and spoke softly.
"Erina, calm down. Let's hear Jonathan out first."
Father looked me straight in the eye. He too seemed to have heard everything from the imperial messenger.
"Son, do you know the full situation?"
"...Yes. The letter said it was the noble alliance's recommendation."
Mother Erina interjected again.
"Recommendation? It's no different from a death sentence! Dear, you know it too! What the southern jungle is like! Swarming with venomous bugs and plagues—a land even the Empire's armies never dreamed of conquering!"
Mother's desperate cry made the room's air grow even heavier.
Then Father, who had been listening silently, spoke. His voice was low and firm.
"I know as well. But the Valerius family has never once turned its back on the Empire's call or its honorable duties."
Father stared straight at me.
"The plot is obvious, but their pretext holds water. The title of saint is both glory and burden. Their demand that a noble lead the way to save imperial citizens is painful but just."
Father continued, clenching his fist so hard his nails dug into his skin.
"Noblesse oblige. The exemplar duty of nobility to protect their people. But to demand it in such a hellish form..."
Father trailed off, and silence fell, no one daring to speak.
Breaking that heavy silence was my future father-in-law, Count Peter Argentis.
"I agree with Sir George. The pretext is so perfect that even His Majesty couldn't refuse."
His wife, Erika's mother, Ella Argentis, was pale but resolute in her eyes.
"No parent would approve sending their daughter's fiancé to his death. But... as lady of House Argentis, I know this is an unavoidable situation."
She looked at my mother and continued.
"Lady Valerius. This is no time for grief. We must prepare so Jonathan can return alive from that death land."
Count Argentis nodded.
"Indeed. Two weeks remain until the Lactali tribe. We must finish all preparations by then."
Everyone was taking it more seriously than expected.
As the parents' grave discussion began...
But amid it all, I was thinking something else.
'Hm... is that really it?'
I pondered quietly amid their serious atmosphere.
'Sure, the Empire failed to conquer the south in the past.'
But why? Venomous bugs and endemic diseases, as Father and Mother said? Sure, but that's not the core issue.
The Empire was always the invader.
Pushing through uncharted wilderness with no roads, marching in humidity and heat.
In such conditions, sustaining supply lines—the heart of war—is impossible.
Wagons sink in swamps, food rots in a day.
No clean water means waterborne diseases spread like wildfire.
Soldiers fell to plague and starvation before even seeing a troll's axe.
'But the situation now is 180 degrees different.'
First, we're not invaders—we're reinforcements at an ally's request, traveling well-paved roads.
Second, we're not breaching wilderness; we're defending an allied fortress already walled.
Third, the fatal water and spoilage issues are solved. Venomous bugs and snakes are mitigated too.
The Lactali already have mana purifiers from the Magic Tower. And I have cold chain tech from northern frost crystals flooding in.
Now, the disadvantaged are the Raalrak and Abarut tribes needing siege warfare.
Their familiar jungle won't help when a massive army camps to breach walls.
They tire and die from hunger just like us—maybe worse, with higher consumption.
Plus, if I roll out my sauce distribution plans, the tide turns even more.
Finishing my thoughts, I grinned and spoke to the still somber adults.
"Father, Mother. Count and Countess Argentis. No need to worry. Everything's under control."
My confident reply only made Mother and the Argentis couple look more concerned.
"Jonathan, what do you..."
Count Peter started, bewildered, but Father stopped him.
Father eyed me steadily, then chuckled.
"Haha, enough, Erina. Sir Peter. Look at the boy's face—it's already a done deal."
"Dear? What do you..."
"He's always been like this since he was little."
Father crossed his arms.
"Always hiding an ace up his sleeve with that look. So, what wild scheme this time to smack those old foxes upside the head?"
I smiled back at Father's trust.
"No head-smacking planned. Just saving imperial citizens and securing victory for the Empire. Though..."
I looked at Count Argentis and Erika.
"For that, I absolutely need House Argentis's help. Especially manpower."
My future father-in-law smiled and replied.
"Name it. I'm like a second father who's watched you grow."
Erika nodded firmly too.
"Tell me anything you need. I'll pass it to the on-site alchemists and technicians."
Then Iris, who had been watching quietly, adjusted her glasses and spoke.
"You're devising a new variable."
She fixed her scholar's gaze on me.
"Manpower alone would be inefficient. You'll need Magic Tower tech. I'll contact the Tower immediately."
"Would you?"
Iris nodded without a second's hesitation.
"Of course. Sir Jonathan's visions always present exciting challenges that advance the Tower's tech a step. This level of support is only natural as partners."
Argentis manpower and Magic Tower tech. What was there to fear?
The princess, Lorensia, who had watched it all with a leisurely smile, looked at me.
She met my eyes without flinching, folding her ornate fan slightly.
"Oh my, everyone's stepping up to help my treasure. How reassuring."
Her red eyes turned to me.
"The palace won't stand idle either. Unfortunately, with those old foxes' eyes wide open, direct troops or manpower under the imperial name is tricky. The noble alliance would riot, claiming we're taking sides."
She added,
"But everything else, I'll handle."
Lorensia's voice brimmed with absolute confidence.
"Need military supplies? I'll open the palace warehouses. Funds? Just say the word. Any bureaucratic hurdles in your path? I'll replace the officials."
She drew a deep smile with her red lips, leaning close to whisper in my ear.
"So don't worry. Dance freely on those old foxes' graves and come back. I'll prepare a grand stage for your return."
Support promises beyond imagination—maybe a bit burdensome.
But all pieces were in place.
Time to move fast.
I've got tons of sauces to make; no time for distractions.
"Then, the items I request are—"