Chapter 351
Side Story – Memories of an Imperial Princess (67)
#86 Their Circumstances: The Situation of a Certain Kingdom.
BANG!
The documents on the desk fell to the floor from the force of the hand striking it.
“General, please…”Â
The aide, his face turning pale, looked up at Duke Raisha as he hurriedly picked up the fallen documents.
“Defeat the moment they’re not under my command! Are there no soldiers in this kingdom who know how to achieve victory?!”
BANG!
The documents that had just been placed back on the desk fell to the floor again as Duke Raisha struck it once more.
“What in the world are they doing! How is it possible that not a single one of them knows how to win!”
After Duke Raisha became Commander-in-Chief, the army under his leadership had achieved victory after victory, managing to occupy Fort Pesra and advance into the territory of the Karan Empire.
As a result, the areas requiring defense had increased, forcing them to split their forces.
However,
“Total annihilation. Major defeat. Defeat. Defeat!”
Duke Raisha’s forces were experiencing consecutive defeats.
Every unit except for the main force led by Duke Raisha himself had experienced at least one defeat.
“We completed all preparations against those bombardments. Yet they’re losing just because of those bombardments! How carelessly are they commanding their troops!”
The Empire’s new magical bombardment had been conquered thanks to Duke Raisha.
This was a fact acknowledged by everyone in Merdea, and it was the driving force that had allowed Duke Raisha’s influence to grow both within the military and throughout the kingdom.
“My honor is plummeting because of these fools!”
However, others were suffering repeated defeats due to these same bombardments.
Duke Raisha thought it wouldn’t be long before his reputation for having perfectly conquered the bombardment strategy would be reversed.
The nobility had a wolf-like tendency – they would grovel when faced with strength, but the moment they spotted weakness, they would rush in to tear at one’s throat!
Duke Raisha, who had been more critical of others’ mistakes than anyone else, had an exceptional sense for this.
He could instinctively feel the actions of the nobles in the distant royal palace who must be speaking ill of him.
“Damn it!”
His honor and reputation were falling.
Just a year ago, Duke Raisha had no honor or reputation left to lose, but now he had something to protect.
This was making him anxious.
The pleasure of victory and the sight of people praising him because of it.
These had given Duke Raisha an intense pleasure, and he had become addicted to it.
Duke Raisha craved it – the victory, the cheers, and the pleasure they brought.
“What’s the cause?”
“W-well, that…”
To obtain this pleasure, Duke Raisha had begun doing something different from his usual self – thinking!
Finding problems and thinking of solutions!
While this was a very basic action for a commander, it could be said that Duke Raisha had grown just from this.
If the late Duke Raisha had seen this development, he would have probably shed tears and marked it as a memorable day in his life.
However, quite unfortunately,
“The, the reports say they couldn’t stop it even with the staff…”
“That’s impossible! Our unit is fine, isn’t it! How can there be different results when we’re supplying the same staff! The staff isn’t the problem. If there’s a problem, it’s with the losers making worthless excuses!”
Though he had developed, Duke Raisha’s fundamental nature hadn’t changed.
Upon hearing the report, his face reddened as he struck the desk again.
As the documents fell once more, his aide could only make a sad face as he picked them up again.
“Eek! Those who lost must be severely punished under military law! Bind all the surviving generals and throw them in prison with flogging!”
Though he wanted to order their execution, Duke Raisha knew the value of these generals.
Some were heads of noble families, while others were commoners who had risen to their positions through outstanding ability.
It would be a great loss to execute warriors of knight rank or higher.
Rather than killing them, it would be better to demote them to soldiers and make them fight on the front lines.
As Duke Raisha gave the order for flogging to vent his anger, his eyes fell on one document his aide had picked up.
“Hmm…”
Unlike the other documents reporting defeats piled on his desk, this one bore the royal seal of the Merdea Kingdom.
It contained praise for his victories so far and mentioned that the royal family was preparing to award him a medal.
And not just any medal – the 0th Grade Military Medal!
This medal had only been awarded a few times in the history of the Merdea Kingdom, and it was two ranks higher than the 2nd Grade Military Medal that the previous Duke Raisha had received.
“…”
The Level 0 medal was a decoration that a king could bestow only once in their lifetime.
If a commoner received it, they would be granted the title of Count, and their descendants would permanently receive the title of Baron.
If a noble below the rank of Viscount received it, they would be granted the title of Count, and their family’s rank would rise one level.
And if a noble of Count rank or higher received it…
“Duke Raisha.”
The recipient’s rank would rise one level, and if the family’s scale was worthy of promotion, their position would rise through evaluation.
The Raisha family’s scale was at the highest level in the Kingdom of Merdea.
If they destroyed the Karan Empire in this war and absorbed its territory, establishing the Principality of Raisha wouldn’t be impossible.
“Duke Raisha. Duke Raisha…”
The position of Grand Duke Raisha, a quasi-royal rank beyond Duke, was not far away.
With the position of Grand Duke, he would also be able to take a royal princess as his wife.
Perfect military achievements along with a royal marriage.
Duke Raisha, who had kept concubines but no official wife in preparation for this moment, smiled wickedly as he thought of the princesses of the royal family.
“Heheh…! Princess Meiria was the most beautiful.”
His desire was so direct that Princess Meiria, the third princess of the Kingdom of Merdea who was in the royal palace, shivered with an inexplicable chill.
“…”
Even his long-serving aide could only grimace at how directly such ugly emotions were expressed!
“We must achieve victory. Everything can be obtained through victory.”
Duke Raisha, who stood up from his seat, for his dreams, honor, and his vulgar and ugly desires,
“Concentrate all troops into the main force! I will lead all forces against the Imperial army!”
Declared that he would personally lead the entire army, and
“I will obey your command, General.”
Thus created a major turning point that would change the history of the continent.
***
“Your Highness, we have news of victory.”
“Put it over there in the corner.”
These days, Ast hasn’t been returning from outside.
Instead, perhaps? He’s been having victory reports brought in daily, piling them up in one corner of the desk.
“Would you like to hear a summary?”
“I suppose I should?”
At first, I checked the documents thoroughly, but now it’s bothersome.
Although Ast seemed to do his work carelessly, he showed unnecessarily meticulous behavior in these aspects.
Usually, commanders don’t report finding enemy scouts during battle and taking down about 10 of them.
When recording major battles, they typically include it as part of the report, saying something like ‘After capturing 10 enemy scouts beforehand, we encountered the enemy’s main force and began battle.’
But Ast was different.
Even if he caught just one enemy, he would dutifully write and send a report.
The reports were numerous, with more space taken up by report formats than actual content, which could be considered a waste of paper.
“Before the mages bombarded the enemy, they encountered enemy mages who were on standby and engaged in battle. They killed 20 enemy mages. There were no deaths on our side, but five were lightly wounded and three severely wounded. One of them is said to be at a critical point today.”
“What about treatment?”
“First aid was administered using recovery potions issued to Lord Ast, but as there seems to be a limit to what recovery potions can do, they are being sent here along with other seriously wounded.”
“Prepare healers and physicians who can treat them and save them.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Ria nodded and called in a soldier from outside to relay what I had said.
After the soldier who had received all explanations from Ria left, and after a while.
There came a knock on the tent where only Ria and I were.
Tap tap tap.
“May I enter, Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
It was an information agent belonging to the Imperial Family.
“I’ve brought documents sent from the Imperial Family.”
“This time it must be enemies, right?”
“Ha, haha!”
When I glared slightly, the information agent broke into a cold sweat and pulled out a small pouch from his chest.
“It’s quite a lot, Your Highness.”
It was a very small magic pouch that compressed space.
I sighed as I watched a book’s worth of documents emerge from that tiny pouch.
“This is child abuse.”
“Your Highness…”
“It is the duty of the royal family.”
The information agent avoided my gaze with an awkward smile, while Ria wore an expression that seemed to say, ‘Are you only pretending to be a child at times like this?’
“Ria, I am indeed a child.”
“I understand, Your Highness.”
That’s what Ria said, adding those words at the end.
Looking at Ria who had added those words, I started to say something but let out a small sigh instead.
“There’s a lot to do, so I’ll move on.”
I need to check all those documents that are as thick as books.
The current war situation, information about other countries, and on top of that, the results of the subordinates’ merit reviews.
I was going to be busy for a while since I needed to verify those and submit them back to the imperial family.
Well, should I call this a trade-off?
“Here, this is my gift to you, Ria.”
Thud!
“……”
I called Ria and started lifting up the documents that were piled under the desk.
With repeated thudding sounds, documents more than 10 times what I had received were precariously stacked on the desk.
“Your Highness? Wasn’t that everything?”
“Ah, these are still unapproved documents. I’ll check them and stamp them, so come back for them later.”
The intelligence officer, who had made a sour expression while looking at the originally stacked documents, let out a sigh upon seeing the additional documents beginning to pile up beside them.
“Couldn’t you ask Lord Ast to write his reports more concisely? The Finance Department has been complaining that we’re wasting too much paper.”
“Didn’t I mention before that this is normal? It’s written that way in military law too, they say.”
Even though no one follows it, the law is the law.
If Ast were to receive praise, it wouldn’t be something to complain about.
…Or so Ast had been claiming.
“That may be true, but…”
“Logically, Ast is correct. That’s why we can’t say anything against it.”
Honestly, I was the biggest victim.
I was the one who had to check all those documents and stamp them.
“People who simply move these documents around wouldn’t understand. The position of someone who has to check everything and stamp them all.”
There must be someone in the Intelligence Department who has to check all of that too.
That person would be able to understand my pain.
At first, I checked everything one by one with the mindset of fulfilling my duties as a member of the imperial family, but as time passed, I started seeing the letters move by themselves.
The physician told me it was due to accumulated eye fatigue.
Additionally, they recommended getting glasses for work.
The mountain of Ast’s documents was such a hardship for me that I was seriously considering getting glasses.
More than the Finance Department and Intelligence Department, I wanted Ast to send fewer documents!
“You’re working hard, Your Highness.”
“Then please reduce my workload.”
The Intelligence Department member who avoided my gaze silently began putting the documents in their pocket.
“Now that I’ve gathered all the documents, I’ll take my leave, Your Highness.”
“You’re running away.”
“Ha, haha…!”
To the Intelligence Department member who laughed awkwardly, I waved my hand with a deep sigh. It was a gesture indicating they could leave.
“Then I’ll come again next time, Your Highness.”
“Don’t bring work…”
I sighed as I watched the Intelligence Department member quickly escape, ignoring my words.
“That behavior suggests they’ll bring more work next time, doesn’t it?”
“That is the Intelligence Department’s job.”
“Working while giving work to others.”
It was possible that people like Ast existed in the world because these things kept happening.
“Your Highness, what does that have to do with Lord Ast?”
“Are bad things always related to Ast?”
“…With apologies to Lord Ast, that’s an incredibly convincing statement, Your Highness.”
“Indeed.”
While responding to Ria’s words, I began scanning through the documents sent by the Intelligence Department.
Most of it was trivial content, but…
“The northern situation has been resolved.”
“Is that so, Your Highness?”
“Yes. And my eldest brother who resolved the northern situation… Is coming here?”
“Do you mean His Highness Ignal?”
“Yes.”
Ignal Nel Karan.
The First Prince of the Empire and the person closest to becoming the next Emperor.
At a young age, he resolved the northern situation of the Empire, and now this person known as the Victor of the North is said to be participating in battle to avenge his younger sibling’s defeat.
“Ast must be quite troubled.”
It seemed like my eldest brother was about to steal the table that had been carefully set.
…Or so I thought, but,
“Your Highness, urgent news! His Highness Ignal has engaged in battle with Duke Raisha! It’s reported that he was defeated and is retreating with his forces!”
“…What is this?”
Are my family members not human? Or was Duke Raisha actually a genius?
Faced with these serious questions, I had no choice but to urgently summon Ast.
