Chapter 259
Side Story – Memories of a Princess (34)
#45 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of A Certain Military Officers
When I arrived at the empty conference room, most of the people had already arrived.
There were still a few empty seats left, but they belonged to people of high rank.
As a lowly attendant here, I had arrived quite late.
“I’m a bit late.”
I apologized first to my direct superior, the general, as I took my seat next to him.
“That’s fine. You were late because you were working on something I asked you to do, so I can’t complain. Are the preparations complete?”
Even though I could have been scolded, the general brushed it off with a smile.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
He really was a good man.
I felt very fortunate to serve as an attendant to someone like him.
When I hear stories from my peers I trained with, there seem to be all kinds of military men out there.
Not only was I assigned to Her Imperial Highness the Princess’s personal unit, which has a reputation for rarely seeing combat, but I also got lucky with my direct superior, who is said to be the most important thing in the military.
“But if there are any problems with the report you’ll be giving Her Highness, you’ll get an earful.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
I bowed my head and reviewed the prepared documents again.
They were all related to the current war.
“Nervous?”
While I was reviewing the report, it looked like my hands were shaking a bit.
Noticing this, the general quietly asked me if I was nervous.
“It seems so….”
“Seems so? That’s not a very soldierly thing to say.”
“I apologize. But this is my first time participating in a war, so I’m not very sure what to make of it.”
For some reason, I was suddenly ordered to take part in this hastily prepared war.
More so than being afraid, I was taken aback by how abrupt it was, as I had never imagined something like this.
“I see. I had the mistaken impression that you were quite competent. You really don’t have much war experience compared to your post, do you?”
I didn’t just lack experience, I hadn’t even participated in a single battle yet.
“I guess I was lucky.”
“Luck is a kind of skill too. To be honest, it’s better not to experience something like war if you can avoid it.”
Luck is a kind of skill.
If that saying is true, then I must be extremely skilled.
Before becoming an officer, while I was still training at the military academy, there was a period when I was dispatched to the border regions to gain battlefield experience after becoming an officer.
It was a time when I, still a student, was to experience the harsh battles at the border regions.
But when I arrived at the tense border region, thanks to the brilliant diplomacy of the frontier lord, peace with the migrant tribes of the frontier had just been achieved not long ago.
The first thing I saw when I arrived was the frontier lord drinking merrily with the chieftain of the migrant tribes.
Rather than learning about the cruelty of war there, I learned about the human capacity to hold liquor.
“You can’t explain war with words. It’s a place where you sleep and when you wake, your comrades are gone. That’s a battlefield.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. You have to experience it directly to know war is useless. The more veterans know war, the more fearful of the battlefield they are. Do you know who thinks the most lightly of war?”
“I don’t know.”
“First are those who only talk about participating in war, and second, the new recruits.”
“Aren’t those the same thing?”
“No. It’s usually the first guys who start wars, and the second guys support them.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. You have to actually take part to know war is bullshit. But those guys try to judge war with statistics and numbers. In some areas we have an advantage over the enemy, so they think we can win.”
Damn those new recruits. Get conscripted and dragged off to the military.
Hearing the general grumble so, all I could give was a sardonic smile.
“Isn’t it good if we have the advantage?”
“What’s good about it? No matter how good one’s sword and shield, a rock to the head will still crack one’s skull open. There will always be casualties.”
And the ones who benefit from those casualties are not us, but the people who started the war with their empty words, the general grumbled.
“Is there some complaint you have?”
The general’s endless stream of curses finally came to a stop after the arrival of Legas, the chief of Her Imperial Highness the Princess’s direct royal magic brigade and the general’s longtime friend.
“Oh, Chief Legas, you’ve arrived?”
“Just barely. Her Highness hasn’t come yet?”
“It seems that way.”
At my reply, Chief Legas nodded and looked towards Her Imperial Highness the Princess’s empty seat.
“War, and so suddenly too.”
“It probably means the situation is not very good.”
“As far as I knew, it wasn’t to the point where Her Highness would personally take to the battlefield.”
“Right. Wasn’t there nothing in the information you investigated about any problems with the war?”
“Well, that’s true, but….”
There were no regions where the empire was being pushed back in my prepared report.
“It’s only recently that the empire has started participating more directly in the war.”
“There’s still much time before we clash with the Pernes Empire in earnest.”
The sparks of war beginning in the Merdeah Kingdom and Helkas Kingdom, considered the weakest countries on the continent, grew into a blaze engulfing the world.
Not wanting those sparks to grow any bigger, our Karan Empire made efforts not to get involved in the war, but with the participation of the hostile Pernes Empire, the Karan Empire enemies, we could only intervene.
“Well, the Merdeah Kingdom takes priority over the Pernes Empire.”
“Yes.”
Aside from the Pernes Empire, among hostile nations only the Merdeah Kingdom could oppose the Karan Empire.
Geographically, they needed to be completely destroyed before confronting the Pernes Empire, but they were a formidable enemy, not one that would easily fall!
It was the Kingdom of Merdeah.
“The place we are going to war with must be the Kingdom of Merdeah.”
“Isn’t the general there General Pelstein?”
“That’s right. General Pelstein, the commander of the 13th Corps, is keeping the Kingdom of Merdeah in check.”
“If it’s him, he’s trustworthy.”
“Yes.”
Both the general and Captain Legas were people he trusted.
That was General Pelstein, who was keeping the Kingdom of Merdeah at bay.
He graduated from the military academy as a commoner and was assigned to a unit as a second lieutenant just as the war broke out.
Despite being a new officer, he led his company excellently and got promoted.
After that, in the continuous battles that occurred as if they were lies, he gained small and big victories and rose to become a general without objection from the nobles despite being a commoner.
“If he’s there, it will be easy for us to go.”
“Yes. He probably won’t need our help.”
“But shouldn’t we still earn our keep?”
“These days I’m earning my keep thanks to Sir Ast! Because of that guy, our platoon leaders and the imperial magicians are being treated like lab rats by the headquarters staff officers!”
I couldn’t help but listen closely to Captain Legas grumbling.
“Oh, is that so? Were you not satisfied with your position as platoon leader?”
Realizing my reaction, the General jokingly said,
“Ah, no, I was just curious about Sir Ast, who is the talk of the town… Since he’s always with His Majesty, it’s hard to talk to him directly.”
Among the imperial family, the 1st Princess in particular had the strictest security.
The number of servants, maids, attendants and butlers residing inside was fixed, and they were the elites among elites, having gone through strict screening by the imperial family.
Of course, most of them couldn’t last a few months before quitting, but still.
Sir Ast had survived for almost 4 years by the 1st Princess’ side.
I wonder what kind of person he was?
I looked at Captain Legas, who had seen Sir Ast directly, with eyes full of curiosity.
Noticed by us, Captain Legas let out a small sigh and answered very briefly,
“A madman.”
“Huh?”
“He’s crazy. Not just normal crazy. Crazier than you could imagine. Even the 1st Princess, who is a bit special, admits he’s a madman.”
Somehow Captain Legas’ assessment of the 1st Princess was a bit strange.
No, before that, Captain Legas, weren’t you about to use an extremely rude expression about the 1st Princess!
“Is he that bad?”
“No, worse than that. You can’t even imagine it. It’s beyond imagination.”
“Just how bad is it that you talk like that?”
The general was also quite surprised by how serious Captain Legas’ expression was.
“I can’t put it into words. He’s not normal. How do I say this?”
Lost in thought trying to explain Sir Ast, Captain Legas soon nodded and continued speaking,
“Oh right. You know how the 1st Princess’ attendants normally don’t last long?”
“Yes. The average was about 3 months, right?”
“That’s right. But do you know how it is these days?”
“Hmm… I wasn’t very interested so I don’t know.”
“More than 6 months now. More than doubled.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. And if there aren’t any personal or family issues requiring marriage, the period becomes even longer.”
“Is that so? But what does that have to do with Sir Ast?”
“It’s related. He’s the reason why it became like that.”
“Don’t tell me Sir Ast talked to Her Highness about managing her maids and attendants!”
Oh my, what a man.
The general was even praising Sir Ast.
And it’s understandable, since she was the 1st Princess favored by His Majesty the Emperor.
In the imperial court, the stories of the countless officials who were demoted after going against the 1st Princess were still told like yesterday.
In this situation everyone was careful not to get on her bad side, so for him to step up for others despite enjoying her favor, that was truly the spirit of a knight who thinks of the weak and frankly advises his master!
“No, it just significantly improved the 1st Princess’ patience because Sir Ast does so many crazy things nonchalantly.”
…Or so I thought, but no.
“Huh?”
“Literally. I’ve seen and heard things that are beyond imagination. Thanks to him, the 1st Princess has become kinder.”
In a sense, as a personal attendant, Captain Legas was praising Sir Ast for succeeding in education that no one else had achieved.
“Just what did he do?”
“The moment I explain, I’ll be arrested for insulting the imperial family.”
“That bad?”
“I told you didn’t I? He casually carries out things that are beyond imagination. I’m not saying this because I’m suffering due to Sir Ast.”
Saying that, the things he told that wouldn’t constitute insulting the imperial family but were still very minor, were quite amusing.
“…What kind of person is he?”
The moment the general spoke up,
“1st Princess Atia Nel Karan has arrived!”
Along with the guard’s loud announcement, the door opened and there was the 1st Princess, along with Lady Leah, the youngest Sword Master in the empire.
And,
“Now that she’s here you can see for yourself.”
“Is that so?”
Several steps behind the 1st Princess and Lady Leah, there was a young man with an ordinary appearance, walking with neat attire.
“His gait is full of dignified spirit. Is he not afraid of war?”
His footstep bursting with vigor that didn’t lose one bit to the 1st Princess and Sword Master Leah, no, even more so.
While everyone looked very favorably at Sir Ast for that imposing footstep,
“Now then, let’s start the meeting. Anyone who has something to say can speak up.”
As the 1st Princess opened the meeting from her seat,
“War is bad! Peace forev… Oof!”
“Drag him out.”
After starting the meeting, Sir Ast was kicked out within 10 seconds, and everyone was at a loss for words seeing the Princess holding her head as she looked at Sir Ast.
“See? Madman right?”
Except for Captain Legas.
