The King's Return (1)
Turn the clock back a little — to not long after the Brans Army had fractured into three.
Unlike Serpina's forces, which were spending their days in unexpected quiet without launching any particular invasions, the southern continent — its balance once broken — had been swept straight into a maelstrom of upheaval.
And the Karelia Army, one of the southern powers, was riding that same great current.
In the royal palace of Madlen Castle, the capital, Sovereign Macana Karelia was receiving a report from her strategist, Vanessa.
"The Ohana Army, you say?"
"Yes. Movements that look like preparations to invade the Hesna Army have been observed more than three times."
Vanessa bowed her head as she answered Macana's question.
"So that's how it is…"
The situation on the southern continent stood as follows.
First, in the upper left, the Roland Army shared a border with the Brans Army — more precisely, with the second Brans Army under Kalintz's command. In the upper right, the Hesna Army bordered the second Brans Army, Serpina's forces, and the Aesius Army all at once.
Of these, the one that seemed to hold a clear advantage — for the moment, at least — was the Hesna Army. After all, they had swallowed up one of the central continent territories that had once belonged to the Brans Army. But that left them with far too many borders, and the Ohana Army looked ready to exploit the opening and strike.
It seems the time has come to move our own troops.
"How are the combat preparations?"
"Because we have gone so long without a real battle, the men have undergone training that carves away flesh and blood. I believe they will perform admirably wherever they are sent."
As Vanessa said, flesh and blood had indeed been carved away. Under a military discipline that had grown ferociously strict, the soldiers had trained and trained again with a harshness plain for anyone to see. Whether they could truly shine on any battlefield remained an open question — but Vanessa was confident.
"In other words—"
"Yes. Exactly."
Vanessa nodded, then fixed her gaze on her sovereign, her eyes gleaming.
"The time has come, my lord."
So war was finally beginning. Compared to the chaos gripping the rest of the continent, the south had enjoyed a relatively long peace, and the thought of a blood-soaked wind sweeping through it filled Macana with quiet dread. But this, too, would be for a greater cause. For the sake of the people across the continent who would soon groan under Serpina's tyranny, the sword had to be drawn here and now.
"Then we should begin assembling the invasion force. We will need to contact Teppelo Castle."
"My lord. Forgive me, but there is something I would ask of you first."
"Speak."
"Would you be willing to convene an emergency council this very day?"
"A council…?"
"I intend to discuss the matter in question."
"…"
Discuss the matter in question. Macana had no difficulty grasping what those words implied. Vanessa watched her sovereign's expression carefully and bowed her head.
"My lord. Please — give me this chance."
"…Very well. It is better to gather everyone's opinions, especially with war ahead of us."
"You have my deepest gratitude, my lord."
The time has come. Macana turned those words over and over in her mind as she ordered her plans for what lay ahead. Of course, there was something that had to be done first.
That evening, by Macana's command, an emergency council was convened at Madlen Castle.
It was not one of the regular assemblies that summoned every castle lord from across the realm — only the officers stationed in the capital itself. Even so, with both the sovereign and the national strategist in attendance, its importance could hardly be overstated. As befitting the capital, the officers who gathered were all veterans steeped in central politics.
And the agenda that emerged there was this—
"I intend to set a date soon and invade the Ohana Army."
At Macana's words, her vassals bowed their heads without much comment. That war was coming had been well within expectations; the prevailing feeling was simply that the moment had finally arrived. No one voiced opposition. After all, if you do nothing forever, nothing ever changes. These were people who understood that if the south was to seize hegemony amid the upheaval, they had to act now.
"I would like to hear your thoughts on the best approach. I will take no issue with any opinion offered, so for this moment set aside rank and speak freely."
"My lord."
The first to raise a hand was a refined young woman whose short hair and glasses suited her remarkably well — Cecil Loengrin, the heiress of House Loengrin and, for all practical purposes, the purse of the Karelia Army.
"I believe the most rational course would be to appoint Lord Lunarien of Teppelo Castle as supreme commander and invade Alscon Castle, which sits on the Ohana Army's border."
Several officers nodded in agreement. Macana herself seemed to find the proposal sound and nodded slowly — then glanced sideways at Vanessa and thought.
Yes. In truth, there had been no real need to convene a council at all. Macana herself had already planned to place the troops under Lunarien as supreme commander and invade the Ohana Army. No place was better suited as a forward base than Teppelo Castle, and among all of Karelia's castle lords, Lunarien had produced the finest results. At the official martial tournament held not long ago, Lunarien had posted an outstanding record utterly at odds with her slight frame. The finals had been cancelled when floods struck the realm — but had they gone ahead, she almost certainly would have taken the championship.
But Macana knew perfectly well why Vanessa had called this meeting: because this very approach, the one anyone would think of, was the one she could not accept.
"My lord."
Vanessa bowed her head slowly, then looked at Macana and spoke.
"Please reassign the lordship of Teppelo Castle to General Gail, and transfer every officer who came over with Lunarien here to Madlen Castle. We can discuss the invasion of the Ohana Army after that."
"Just a moment, Strategist."
The absolute rule of a Karelia Army emergency council: for the duration of the meeting, rank did not exist. Even if the opinion came from the national strategist — even from the sovereign herself — anyone was free to raise a counterargument.
"General Gail is certainly an outstanding man, but his specialty is defensive warfare. He is not suited to command an invasion force. Here, it seems far more rational to employ Lord Lunarien, who has produced solid results and earned the soldiers' trust…"
"Lunarien Iniang is without question an excellent general. But she is someone I simply cannot trust with a matter of this magnitude. For our army, appointing General Gail is the rational choice."
"Forgive my presumption, but is the claim that Lord Lunarien cannot be trusted not simply your personal opinion, Strategist?"
"…"
"I do not believe that sidelining the most suitable person simply because you find her untrustworthy will prove a beneficial decision for the Karelia Army."
Vanessa closed her eyes slowly. Then, as if steeling herself, she met Cecil's gaze and spoke.
"It is Lord Cecil who seems to be shielding Lord Luna rather excessively. Whether Lord Luna leads the invasion is not a particularly important question. I do not dismiss the value of outstanding commanders, but in the end it is the soldiers who fight the battles. And General Gail is an excellent general in his own right — one who does not fall short of Lord Luna."
"Not falling short of Lord Luna is not the same as surpassing her, is it?"
"Even if his abilities are somewhat lesser, I believe it is right to give the opportunity to General Gail — a man who has long shouldered hard work for our sake — rather than to an outsider we cannot trust."
"A moment. Forgive me, but may I interject?"
At Macana's voice, Vanessa bowed her head.
"Please speak, my lord."
"Why is it that you cannot trust Lord Luna?"
"…"
"Whenever Lord Luna came for the regular councils, I received her myself. She possesses remarkable insight. Moreover, her martial skill is of a very high order. I am by no means calling General Gail a poor general — but is Lord Luna not the superior talent in every respect?"
"I am not denying that she is outstanding. The problem is that she is too outstanding."
Vanessa explained calmly, but without yielding an inch.
"Lunarien Iniang was once a feudal lord in her own right. If she obtains large forces and military authority, there is a real possibility she will reveal the dark ambitions she has kept hidden. I cannot dismiss the chance that this exceptionally capable woman's blade will one day be turned against my lord's throat. I beg you to reconsider."
"…"
"I do not share that view."
This time it was Cecil who spoke.
"It is true that I am personally acquainted with Lord Luna. But that is precisely why I can vouch for her. She is not a person of such base character that she would stab someone in the back. I, Cecil, speaking in the name of House Loengrin, will guarantee Lord Luna. My lord — please employ her with confidence. She will without question become a general the likes of which our Karelia Army will never see again."
That she was not of base character was something Macana already knew. There was a quality of character one could feel when speaking with someone, when meeting their eyes.
"…What do the rest of you think?"
At Macana's question, the vassals' opinions roughly sorted themselves. Roughly half sided with Cecil, half with Vanessa. The interesting point was this: those who followed Cecil were mostly long-serving veterans of the Karelia Army, while those who backed Vanessa were relative newcomers.
Macana closed her eyes and sank into thought.
Certainly, if that blade ever turned toward her own throat, as Vanessa warned, it would be a grave threat. Vanessa was no fool. In the entire Karelia Army, there was not a single strategist who surpassed her. Her methods could be somewhat extreme, but it was an undeniable fact that since she had taken charge of the military, both the number of troops and their quality had risen dramatically. And she was thoroughly objective and loyal. She was not saying these things out of mere jealousy toward Lunarien — she truly believed the woman was dangerous, and that was why she pressed so hard.
In the end, the decision is mine.
Macana thought a while longer — then slowly parted her heavy lips.
"Vanessa."
"…Yes."
From the moment her name was spoken, Vanessa seemed to sense Macana's decision. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. And Macana… spoke exactly the answer Vanessa had predicted.
"I am sorry, but I intend to place my trust in Lord Lunarien."