Deception and Deception
Relations between the West and the South had never been particularly good to begin with. The overwhelming wave of manufactured goods pouring out of the Southern factories was systematically crushing the Western industries one by one.
The difference in productivity between a region that had successfully modernized and one that remained stuck in the Middle Ages was staggering. To bridge this gap, Charles Raymonds chose to steal from the South. He decided to send spies to steal their technology.
The spies he dispatched sent back intelligence indicating that the South was preparing for war. Yet, the reason Charles remained completely unconcerned was simple.
• It appears the South is preparing for war.
• Recently, the South's weapon production has increased significantly. They are reportedly manufacturing cannons designed to shoot down wyverns.
• The Southern Ministry of Land is constructing curved concrete structures in the Sarsen region. It highly resembles the construction of a fortress.
The spies, living in a medieval mindset, simply could not comprehend what the South was actually preparing. After all, industrial espionage requires a fundamental understanding of the technology in question.
The spies sent by the West had no real grasp of what the South was manufacturing. Consequently, the reports landing on the desk of Charles Raymonds, the Archduke of the West, were filled with nothing but dismissive contempt for the South.
"The Southern fools are trying to hit wyverns with cannons."
"The Southerners are building walls out of concrete."
"It seems the South has absolutely no idea how real war is waged."
Taking these reports entirely at face value, Charles dismissed the Southerners as utter idiots. He knew what cannons were, but the idea of hitting a Wyvern Knight with one was laughable.
How could a clumsy cannon ever hit a wyvern performing agile maneuvers in the sky? And building walls? Against the West's wyvern forces? To aerial cavalry, walls were nothing more than meaningless lines on the ground.
"As expected, those lowborn merchants who only know how to play with money have no grasp of real warfare."
True, the Southerners had undoubtedly developed something formidable. He had seen the ruins of Sarsen Fortress with his own eyes. However, that was merely a matter of weaponry.
War was not won simply by having superior weapons or technology. Overwhelming combat experience. A fearless mindset that stared death in the face. And the flawless coordination of a seasoned army.
These were things the South, which had only just begun expanding its military, could never hope to match. Ultimately, victory in war was decided by air superiority—by the air force.
"It's about time I put that arrogant idiot and his piggy bank in their place."
To Charles, the question of victory or defeat was trivial. He had never even considered the possibility of losing. His sole focus was entirely on what he would plunder.
"Come to think of it, Aria Leonhart always did like those jewelry pieces crafted in the South."
In Charles's mind, there was only one vision: reclaiming Sarsen through a single, flawless surprise attack, dragging Kyle Leopold back in chains to kneel before him, and stripping the South of everything they owned.
"What is the size of the Southern garrison stationed in Sarsen?"
"We estimate it to be around three hundred men, Your Grace."
"Ha! That's it?"
It was exactly what he expected from a region without a proper army. Snorting in derision at the meager number, Charles barked his orders.
"Ready five thousand infantry and three Wyvern Knight squadrons. We will wipe them out in a single sweep."
"B-but... Your Grace, our military budget is at its absolute limit due to the aggressive campaigns along the western border over the past few years! We already have too many legions deployed there. If we mobilize any more troops..."
Slam! The anxious voice of his adjutant, Albert, was cut short as Charles slammed his fist onto the desk.
"Military budget? We can just crush those Southern bastards and pay it back with their gold!"
Charles could not comprehend his adjutant's hesitation. The South was nothing but a paper tiger that had only recently begun building an army. Why worry about a military budget when facing an opponent that would crumble at a single blow?
"Hey, Albert. Do you not get it? This is a golden opportunity to legally plunder the vaults of the wealthiest bastards in the world."
The West was perpetually plagued by financial crises, entirely due to Charles's obsession with border campaigns. He had been funding his military deficits by plundering the indigenous tribes beyond the western border.
Naturally, this fueled the natives' hatred, leading to frequent retaliatory raids. And every time they raided, Charles would abandon all administrative duties, gleefully leading his knights out to battle. It was no wonder their finances were in shambles.
"You're always whining about our budget deficit, aren't you? I'm going to fix it, so what are you complaining about?"
From the West's perspective, this situation was a godsend. Until now, they couldn't touch the wealthy South because they belonged to the same Empire, but now, Sarsen Fortress provided the perfect pretext.
"Don't worry, Albert. There is absolutely no way our elite forces will lose to those foolish Southern weaklings."
"...Understood, Your Grace. I will have the army ready within two days."
"Good. That's more like it."
He hadn't bothered to formulate a detailed battle plan. After all, once they seized Sarsen with overwhelming force, those cowards would undoubtedly surrender on their own—just like the primitive natives of the western borders.
"Also, send a message to Kyle. Tell him I want to meet in person in two days to discuss the matter of the Sarsen territory."
"Excuse me?"
"While the Southern leadership is distracted at the negotiation table, we move our army and cleanly swallow Sarsen whole. Simple, isn't it?"
It didn't matter if he refused. If he declined the meeting, Charles could use that very refusal as a pretext to launch a full-scale invasion.
"No matter what choice he makes, the only thing waiting for the South is utter defeat."
The conflict between the South and the West. Honestly, when you thought about it, the situation was utterly absurd. To put it in 21st-century terms, it was like the governor of Gyeonggi Province and the governor of Gangwon Province declaring war on each other and launching a military invasion.
In any sane world, no officer or soldier would obey a mad order to launch an armed invasion against their own countrymen within a functioning nation. The central government would also intervene politically and physically to prevent such madness from occurring.
However, the Empire of this world was a different story. The "Empire" was a nation formed by a voluntary coalition of five massive factions centered around the First Emperor.
Because it was established through voluntary alliance rather than forced unification, the authority granted to the Archdukes of each region was immense, and the sense of national unity or shared identity was incredibly weak.
Until now, things had held together. The Emperor's imperial authority had been strong enough to suppress these inherent flaws. However, over the past few decades, the Empire had been on a steady decline.
The current Emperor had run the country into the ground before collapsing onto his deathbed. The Crown Prince, who was supposed to be handling state affairs, was completely infatuated with a woman and utterly useless.
And history showed exactly what happened when central authority crumbled. It was a classic era of warring states—warlords rising up everywhere, tearing the Empire to pieces. This was precisely what occurred in the original novel, Everyone Loves Me.
The Empire fractured into five pieces—the Center, East, West, South, and North—all waging war against one another to claim the heroine, Aria Leonhart.
Men so devoted they would literally start a world war for a single woman. Truly, it was a world built entirely for one heroine.
"Which is exactly why I need to nip this war in the bud."
This was the reason Kyle had pre-emptively deployed troops to the Sarsen territory. Charles, the hot-tempered Archduke of the West who was sweet only to the heroine, would never be able to swallow his pride and ignore such a blatant provocation.
A month had passed since the fall of Sarsen Fortress. Just as Sarsen was beginning to thrive with the establishment of Southern factories and the influx of advanced goods, the dark clouds of war began to gather. It started with a telegram from the radar unit.
• No unusual activity detected along the Western border at present.
• However, over the past two weeks, there has been a significant increase in the number of Western wyverns conducting reconnaissance flights around the Sarsen region.
• The number of recon flights detected by radar has already exceeded thirty. Their clear intention appears to be mapping out the local terrain.
They probably thought they were being incredibly stealthy, but unfortunately for them, they weren't. The "Eyes in the Sky" radar unit could see far beyond the limits of any human scout. And there was only one conclusion to draw from this data.
The West was preparing for war. And their first target was undoubtedly Sarsen.
"Lucilla, what is the status of our air defense deployment in Sarsen?"
"It is in its final stages. We have deployed three hundred air defense artillerymen, armed with twenty A-01 76mm anti-aircraft guns and numerous small-caliber anti-aircraft cannons."
That was more than enough to defend against the incoming Western forces. A frontline air defense division that had spent the past month undergoing rigorous anti-aircraft live-fire drills on a small island in the Southern Sea would easily tear the wyvern squadrons to shreds.
Ground forces? There was no need to deploy them. After all, any anti-aircraft gun could be lowered to a horizontal angle to become an incredibly efficient infantry meat grinder.
All that was left was for the West to strike. And right on cue, a letter arrived from the West, its underlying intentions laughably transparent.
From Charles Raymonds, Archduke of the West, to Kyle Leopold, Archduke of the South
The incident regarding the Sarsen territory was indeed the fault of Count Sarsen.
However, could we not have resolved this through more peaceful means?
It is still not too late. Let us settle this through dialogue. To show my sincerity, I have completely withdrawn all forces from the Western border.
If you agree, let us meet in two days at the neutral trade city of Airestopolis, situated between our borders.
"Oh?"
Proposing a summit while pretending to withdraw troops, all while continuously sending reconnaissance flights. Even a first-grader could see through this blatant nonsense.
"So that muscle-brain actually knows how to use his head."
Kyle let out a soft chuckle as he folded the letter. Charles probably believed he had hidden his intentions flawlessly, never dreaming in a million years that his wyvern scouts had been tracked the entire time.
Thus, the moment Kyle accepted the proposal and arrived at the summit, Charles would launch his invasion.
"How do you wish to proceed?"
"We play along, of course."
Charles Raymonds and Kyle possessed the bloodline of the sun. Charles was likely under the delusion that a battle devoid of their powerful magic would heavily favor his own side. And there was no prey easier to devour than an enemy blinded by his own delusions.
"Send a reply to the West. Tell them I gladly accept the invitation to the summit."