Chapter 62 — Whose Side Are You On? (2)
Chapter 62 — Whose Side Are You On? (2)
With his final words telling them to meet at the New Year Festival, Roan's image vanished. Silence filled the tent for a long moment.
The first to speak was the Grand Duke of the Red Rampart.
— Truly....
His low, trembling voice was steeped in emotion.
— His Majesty....
The grand duke seemed both relieved and deeply moved.
He closed his eyes.
— Is he not the very image of the late emperor?
Beside him, as though reminiscing about something, the sharp-featured swordsman let out a sigh.
It was a sigh of relief.
— Yes. I have shed a pointless worry.
— Perhaps our faith was lacking.
— I believe that reputation was one he crafted himself.
Despite the many ears listening, the Lord of the East Yellow Territory apparently feared nothing. Indeed, no one there corrected him.
'Because it's the truth.'
Roan smiled wryly.
The Lord of the East Yellow Territory spoke with a chill that matched his outward appearance.
— Still, I am also relieved. It has now been confirmed that His Majesty personally issued the command.
The Lord of the East Yellow Territory quietly placed his hand on the pommel of his sword.
For an instant, his figure looked profoundly peaceful.
— No more doubt is necessary. I shall simply follow His Majesty's orders.
— Haha, just a moment,
Your Grace.
The Lord of the North White Territory challenged the Lord of the East Yellow Territory.
— I understand why you command a truce. But supplies for the soldiers? Eliminating looting units and a survival rate? What in the world is the point of that? Do you understand it, Grand Duke? Your Grace?
— Why is understanding necessary?
At the Lord of the East Yellow Territory's icy expression, the Lord of the North White Territory wore a bizarre look.
A face that seemed utterly drained of blood,
a corpse-like face.
With a mirthless face like a still life, the Lord of the North White Territory spoke.
— Why should we give anything to worthless wretches? They are mere meat shields who buy time until I exterminate the enemy force.
The Lord of the East Yellow Territory fixed his gaze upon the Count of the North White Territory.
A scarcity of camaraderie was inevitable.
Because he was a mage.
He was different from the Grand Duke of the Red Rampart or me, who led the charge onto the battlefield. Like the Dark Archduke, he stood back and observed the situation, then executed mass slaughter with the most efficient attack.
Therefore, for him, there was not even a trace of the fellow-soldier sentiment the grand duke or I felt toward the troops.
His mass slaughter made no distinction between friend and foe.
I had seen his expression when he killed his own allies.
It resembled his expression when he slaughtered the enemy.
Pleasure.
Having finished his thought, the Lord of the East Yellow Territory spoke.
— If you are a lord, you must supply winter provisions to your private soldiers as His Majesty has commanded. Count. Surely you know this.
— Haha, I do. I know. I have no intention of defying an imperial decree. I merely cannot grasp why we should allocate resources to weaklings who are bound to die anyway.
Yet the Lord of the East Yellow Territory spoke in a tone that, though cold, was persistent. Almost as if trying to make the count understand.
— Count. It is a simple matter.
— Pardon?
— It means to kill that many more humans.
— Pardooon?
The count, who had questioned the Duke of the Desert Blade twice with an expressionless face, laughed only after a little time passed.
— Ahh, ah-ha, ahahaha. Yes. I understand.
The Lord of the North White Territory nodded repeatedly.
The feline ears atop the count's head flapped incessantly, as if displaying a violent shift in emotion.
A mask-like smile returned to his previously rigid face.
Roan furrowed his brow.
A sense of dissonance, plainly felt even through the image reflected in the crystal orb.
The count laughed for a long, chilling while.
And the Lord of the East Yellow Territory, the Duke of the Desert Blade, watched him silently.
— That is correct, Your Grace is right! It is because we must kill more humans! I was short-sighted. No matter how much of a meat shield they are, it stands to reason they will hold out longer if clothed and fed something!
— And I would add, reduce the number of allies caught up in your magic as well, Count. It is His Majesty's will.
— Haha, yeees, yeees. I understand. I can just kill that many more humans, after all! I understand!
Roan's expression turned subtle when he heard the count's words. He'd told him not to kill allies, and the answer was to kill that many more enemies...?
What kind of logic was that?
Was the emotion hiding behind it something like 'what a shame'?
'This bastard's like a psycho....'
It was then that Roan finally realized why the Lord of the North White Territory's laughter was so strange.
A face smiling broadly.
Yet his eyes glittered, brimming with killing intent.
Since it felt this palpable even through an image, the other lords present at the scene would surely be far more uncomfortable.
Indeed, the dozens of lords surrounding the round table only watched the exchange between the Lord of the East Yellow Territory and the Lord of the North White Territory, remaining silent without uttering a word.
Unable to interrupt the great lords' chilling conversation, they were probably chewing over the orders I had given.
'If anything, the Lord of the East Yellow Territory is normal.'
After listening to the conversation for a while, my internal assessment of the Lord of the East Yellow Territory had risen relatively.
His tone was cold, but wasn't he the most decent position among them? Even carefully explaining to the Lord of the West Blood Territory, who didn't understand, and to the Lord of the North White Territory.
Quite a few lords nodded their heads after hearing the Duke of the Desert Blade's explanation.
'I should speak with him when we meet at the New Year Festival.'
And among the four great lords thus far, only the Dark Archduke, the lord of the South Black Territory, had maintained silence.
Roan found that fact all the more unsettling.
This recording was an image secretly captured to observe the lords' reactions. Yet the Dark Archduke said nothing, his thoughts unreadable.
If it were unusual, someone around him might have asked, 'Why do you say nothing?'
Judging that the other great lords didn't speak to him either, he apparently didn't offer many comments even during normal council meetings.
It could be seen as caution,
or it seemed rather shifty.
It might even be the disposition required of someone holding the office of a great lord....
'I can't read him.'
It was frustrating from the watching Roan's perspective.
The great lords' conversation ended.
Only then did the tent fill with a buzz of noise. The lords were each discussing their thoughts with those seated next to them.
Only when that commotion had subsided did the Dark Archduke slowly open his mouth.
— I did not know you paid this much attention to the war. This is the first time you have issued direct orders to the front lines.
Everyone was listening intently to the lord of the South Black Territory's words.
The most powerful being in Evirgio after Roan.
He, at least within that tent, seemed like the emperor himself.
— Whatever the reason, there is no need to agonize over it here. By imperial decree, we will settle matters in winter. Merde, as it has every year, will likely anticipate only passive skirmishes during winter. Even for us, this order is unexpected.
The Dark Archduke's figure shifted slightly.
— However, no matter how much His Majesty intends to strengthen and protect the soldiers, keeping those wretches alive will indeed prove tricky. Creatures that ought to lay down their lives for His Majesty.
First, you said you would assess the survival rate within your own forces and the units under the small council ministers, so we shall see. Vice-Commander.
At the end of the Dark Archduke's gaze sat a Dullahan clad in armor. Armor bearing the same crest as Minoreus. It was the vice-commander of the Central Knight Order.
A reply issued from the head tucked under his arm.
— These are the merciful words of His Majesty, who even considers the common people. If more survive, will the next battle not also become easier?
At the Dullahan's words, the grand duke chuckled softly and turned his head slightly toward the direction of the recording.
— In any case, once our daughter steps onto the battlefield, all will perish. Is that not right, Erenier?
At that, the image shook.
Most of all, from a voice heard up close.
— Yes, Father.
Laughter was mixed into the grand duke's voice.
Listening only to this exchange, wouldn't he seem like a doting father overconfident in his daughter's abilities?
However, having heard the grand duke's usual tone, Roan realized. What the grand duke was saying now....
It meant that since those His Majesty frets over are insignificant, they have no impact on the war situation whatsoever — mockery of the emperor who made such a foolish decision.
Roan clenched his fist.
Soldiers were not expendable supplies.
Of course, Erenier was powerful, but it was the soldiers who fought most of the war.
'I hope Minoreus and the small council's forces somehow produce results.'
It was a somewhat childish defiance, but he wanted to suppress the Dark Archduke's momentum even in that way.
In the image, the grand duke began discussing the actual war situation and strategy with the lords. In that moment.
'...Huh?'
The Lord of the North White Territory's eyes met Roan's.
Roan flinched in surprise.
He probably simply looked at the orb recording the image. Since he was said to be a mage, he might have sensed the flow of mana.
Because it was disguised as a personal protection tool, it shouldn't have been strange for mana to flow through it constantly.
The Count of the Dark Pit stared at the orb for a brief moment, then raised his gaze to the face above it, grinned, and turned his head back.
Only then did Roan realize what had slightly obscured his view from both sides.
'...The orb was wedged between... her chest....'
It seemed he couldn't keep staring at her chest.
He did not know whether the count had noticed the filming or if his gaze had merely drifted this way from sensing the mana.
'But there'll be no way to confirm it.'
Even for a count.
The count could not carelessly lay a hand on the one doing the filming.
The recording of the meeting ended, and what was briefly shown at the very end was the appearance of the one who had been filming.
— Mmm, this is being saved, right?
An immense bosom covered the screen, then fell away.
— I've spoken through voice calls, but sending my image like this feels quite new♡
It was Erenier's excited voice.
As if she had been just about to fall asleep, she was wearing a sheer, fluttering nightgown.
Even if it was a tent in the middle of a war zone, her tent and bed were decorated like the bedroom of a luxurious noble young lady.
The area around the bed was entirely draped in cloth, creating a cozy atmosphere. She was a high-ranking noble, so they really treated her differently.
Recalling the A-type tent from cold-weather training, Roan unknowingly gave a bitter smile.
— A secret between you and me. It's truly wonderful♡
Erenier was Roan's fiancée.
As such, she was the ideal person for the task of informing him of the lords' every move.
As a member of a high noble family, she faced few interruptions,
and even if discovered, there was little risk to her life or of moral condemnation.
For it was only natural that the future wife would inform her husband for his sake.
Moreover, she was a woman. The orb used for filming took the form of a necklace resting on her chest. It was a location a male demon could neither carelessly touch nor continue staring at.
How utterly perfect!
— Thank you for entrusting me with something so important♡
Erenier twisted her body as if unable to contain her joy. Each time, her large breasts swayed beyond the thin nightgown, stealing his gaze.
— As you heard, the attack on Merde's granary will proceed exactly according to the original plan. I'll also be leaving Hazak before long.
The surprise raid on the granary to cut off Merde's supply line would be executed soon. The current month was October.
In Evirgio, it was classified as winter, but in Merde, it was the height of autumn. Merde's supply wheat warehouses, having finished the harvest, would be packed full.
The wagons that had been carrying out supplies would encounter demon forces, be seized whole, and the carts and wagons remaining at the granary would be hauled off to Evirgio loaded with wheat. Those guarding the warehouses would be slaughtered.
Merde's hastily deployed troops would also be slaughtered unit by unit by Erenier. Erenier would then return after expending all her strength in that battle.
That had been the flow in the game. To be exact, it was a story from a scene where the Hero listened to the words of a Merde soldier who survived that battle.
I hoped it would change this time.
While Roan watched the image with interest, Erenier kissed the orb and the recording ended.
[...So, what happened?]
"...Huh?"
At Fiora's words, Roan felt deflated.
"You didn't see any of it?"
[I told you. I can't read things with Sword Energy or anything. I don't see with eyes or hear with a voice. I perceive human vibrations through Sword Energy.]
Fiora retorted in a cheerful tone.
[If Roan's eyes worked properly, you would have noticed that I have neither eyes nor ears.]
"But Fiora, you speak."
[How can I speak without a mouth? It's mental transmission. It's difficult because Roan is dumb.]
"...."
[So, what was the content?]
"...I reined in the lords. Told them since winter supplies will be arriving soon, to stop depleting each other and attack Merde in winter."
[Hoho, a very emperor-like order.]
"I have to at least put on an act, don't I?"
[Excellent, excellent.]
He received praise twice in a row.
A small smile returned to Roan's face.
Roan, as both emperor and an adult man, rarely ever received such child-like praise.
Fiora's words became a strange encouragement.
"Thank you."
Roan leaned back leisurely in his chair, as if reassured. Now, only waiting remained.