Chapter 177 - Chapter 176: Side Story — Those Moving Beneath the Surface
【Leventein Rubalwarus's Perspective】
Leventein Rubalwarus Domain, Capital City Sarbengeal. The Leventein Family Estate.
Rubalwarus sat on the sofa in the office, glancing through several letters.
The messenger from the Royal Palace, seated opposite him, watched him silently so as not to disturb him.
Though called a messenger, he was not in a position to be sent running errands as usual.
He was a man who held a position capable of influencing the will of the organization known as the Royal Palace.
Therefore, it was unlikely he had come all this way just to deliver letters.
There were three letters delivered.
Two of them were from the Minister of Military Affairs and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, one each.
In terms of content, they were better described as reports than letters.
And the remaining one was from His Majesty the King.
Based on the information from the previous two, instructions on what Rubalwarus should do were written.
After finishing reading the letters, Rubalwarus let out a deep breath.
"I understand the details. Please convey that to His Majesty."
"Understood."
The messenger from the Royal Palace bowed respectfully at Rubalwarus's reply.
"Unrestful movements from the Gronoir Empire have been reported for several years now, but for now, they have not reached full-scale action. Still, 'the mouse moves,' is it? That is how His Majesty reads it."
"The mouse" was a mocking name for the current Emperor of the Gronoir Empire.
Rumors said he was a small man, but apparently, he was a petty man who trembled easily.
It was a nickname given by comparing his appearance to a rat.
They were not calling him that with malice in the Kingdom of Ektrem.
It seemed he was called and despised by the citizens within Gronoir itself.
"The current Emperor does not actively seek war. It is those around him who desire war."
"Eventually, even the mouse will become uncontrollable, I suppose."
"His Majesty thinks so. Rather, he even praised that he has suppressed it this well."
"Hmph... His Majesty? Praising the mouse? ...Do not speak of this matter elsewhere."
This was quite problematic.
A story where His Majesty the King praised the Emperor of a clear enemy nation would be a topic that insolent people would enjoy.
Even without that, depending on how it was received, it could affect the morale of the soldiers.
"As for the current Pope... regarding the Pope of Gronoir, he seems to be a strong hawk. Since last year, his rhetoric has soared to the heavens. He is actively persuading the nobles."
"Wasn't he the one who took the papal throne a few years ago? When I heard about him before, the story was that he wasn't like that."
"Yes. However, since almost all citizens of Gronoir support the war. Basically, those elected as Pope are undoubtedly hawks."
"Indeed."
Rubalwarus reached for the glass on the table and downed the distilled liquor in one gulp.
He exhaled a hot breath.
"Why do they so eagerly desire a war?"
"My Lord, beyond that..."
The messenger spoke up to stop Rubalwarus's muttering.
The Kingdom of Ektrem had also once started wars against neighboring countries to dominate them.
For the past three hundred years, they have not engaged in wars to seek new territories, but words denying war itself would also lead to the denial and criticism of past kings.
"Our own country did it in the past. It is not logical to blame them just because they did it."
"That is true."
As Rubalwarus put the letters back into the envelope, he spoke to the messenger.
"However, even if we go to war and win, do we need it? His Majesty certainly has no territorial ambitions, does he?"
"If we must say whether we need it or not, we do not need it. Our country is currently running very smoothly under His Majesty's wise rule. Of course, there are no problems, but our true intention is to focus on dealing with those issues."
In terms of national power, especially economic strength, the Kingdom of Ektrem was at a higher level than the Gronoir Empire.
The economy continued to rise gently.
Even if they acquired the Daburandoru Plains area and the territories beyond it now, it would only bring a heavy burden.
How many decades would it take to develop it from scratch and receive its benefits?
More importantly, having territory on the other side of the protective wall meant that a military force must be stationed there to maintain it.
Although the Kingdom Army was already stationed around Sarbengeal, if a military force were placed in new territories, the burden would be incomparable to the current one.
"If we are attacked, we have no choice but to fight. If we fight, we must gain something significant if we win. War reparations are natural, but cession of territory will also naturally be on the table."
Rubalwarus grimaced at the messenger speaking thus.
"At the time of signing the peace treaty, it was already known that war would happen again. Rather, we should say it lasted over fifty years..."
Without the protective walls built by his grandfather and father, it would not have lasted fifty years.
This peace would have collapsed much earlier.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the tranquility of the kingdom was brought about precisely by these two.
Thinking of that, Rubalwarus felt a very proud feeling of being descended from such great people.
His grandfather and father continued to shed blood for sixteen years after the fifty-year war, anticipating a situation like this.
He knew.
That a battle where they would shed a massive amount of blood and crush lives with Gronoir would come again.
The final battle of the Fifty-Year War.
At the Battle of Daburandoru Plains, both nations lost their ability to continue fighting significantly.
They formed an armistice agreement and concluded a peace treaty two years later, but it was by no means smoothly concluded.
The main point of contention was the non-aggression treaty.
Regarding the inclusion of a clause concerning mutual non-aggression in the peace treaty.
When deciding the contents of the peace treaty, initially, both the Kingdom of Ektrem and Gronoir were positive about the non-aggression clause.
They continued negotiations on that premise, but just before a general agreement was reached, the Gronoir side proposed the deletion of the clause concerning non-aggression.
The cause was the Church.
The Church of Gronoir strongly insisted on deleting the clause that went against the divine oracle.
"It is the will of the gods to destroy Ektrem! Does His Majesty intend to turn his back on the gods by making a treaty that goes against the will of the gods!"
To the Church, a peace treaty was out of the question.
The Emperor of Gronoir, who had suppressed the Church that even opposed the armistice agreement, aimed to end the war.
However, if they included the non-aggression clause, the Church declared that the Emperor would be excommunicated as one who disregarded the will of the gods and went against the divine oracle.
War-weariness had spread among the citizens due to the long-lasting war.
Nevertheless, if they were clearly excommunicated by the Church, the impact would be immeasurable.
After that, the Emperor, caught between the Kingdom of Ektrem and the Church, negotiated with both sides.
The deadline for the armistice agreement was two years from the conclusion.
The Church, planning for the expiration of the armistice agreement, was somehow suppressed, and the non-aggression clause was deleted, leading to the conclusion of a peace treaty with the Kingdom of Ektrem.
The Kingdom of Ektrem also wanted to avoid the expiration of the armistice agreement at all costs.
Therefore, negotiations were repeated until the very last moment of expiration, and reluctantly, the peace treaty was concluded without the non-aggression clause.
The non-aggression clause within the peace treaty was merely a starting point.
They intended to use it as a foothold to conclude a full-scale non-aggression treaty later, but that plan failed.
For a few years, there were movements to explore the formulation of a non-aggression treaty from scratch, but the Church's resistance intensified due to the conclusion of the peace treaty.
As a result, it simply faded away.
Rubalwarus stood up and put the letters in the drawer of the desk.
He then returned to the sofa.
The messenger took a sip of the distilled liquor in the glass and made a slightly bitter face.
It seemed he was not good at drinking it neat.
"They were the ones who strongly opposed the non-aggression treaty, after all. They must be itching to attack."
"If they want war that much, they should just do it themselves."
Since the Imperial Army would come out, the scale would become huge.
A mixed unit of Temple Knights and healers, he could crush them with his own troops however many he wanted.
"As for those Temple Knights, they seem to be somewhat highly trained."
"Oh, it seems so. It was also written in the letter from the Minister of Military Affairs. That they swing their swords too much and the holy scriptures are gathering dust."
"This movement is probably also in preparation for war."
"Likely."
Rubalwarus poured distilled liquor from the bottle into the glass up to the width of one finger, held the glass, and swirled it lightly to enjoy the scent.
A rich fragrance tickled the back of his nose.
"As for us, if they come, we will crush them or repel them. That is all."
"Yes. As for the Royal Palace, we decided the other day to accelerate the plan to expand the fast horse relay stations on the roads before Gronoir's movements become full-scale. Currently, we are coordinating with the Ministry of Military Affairs."
"Finally. Did the Minister of Finance finally give up?"
In preparation for an emergency, increase the relay points for fast horses on the roads and increase the number of spare horses.
Naturally, knights and soldiers must be stationed there, and facilities for stationing must also be built.
In addition to capital investment, the maintenance costs for the equipment would jump to several times the current amount, so the Minister of Finance had opposed it for a long time.
"This meeting at this time was a masterpiece. 'Do you intend to watch your house collapse while holding onto the vault?' His Majesty said, and the Minister of Finance gave up his resistance."
"Hahaha, I would have liked to see that."
Rubalwarus laughed aloud.
His Majesty also disliked the rising costs and had remained passive until now, acknowledging the necessity but watching quietly.
But he must have judged that they could not wait any longer.
Rubalwarus calmed his laughter and poured about half of the distilled liquor in the glass down his throat.
Hot things passed through his throat and fell into his stomach.
"Phew... If His Majesty says so, then indeed..."
"Yes. Gronoir is coming. Without fail."
Preparation was necessary for that time.
That was the judgment made.
Moreover, they had to start preparations now.
War was approaching to that extent.
"I think I will be consulting with you again regarding relay points in the Hailhord Region next time."
"Understood. We have already considered this. I will inform you that the responsible officials have been decided."
"Thank you. Especially the road from the Royal Capital to Sarbengeal will be the most important section, so the scale of the project seems to be quite large."
At the messenger's words, Rubalwarus looked a little surprised, then made a difficult face.
"His Majesty is putting that much effort into it...? If he is going to do it, it must be to ensure there is no shortage, but..."
He then drank the remaining distilled liquor in the glass.
"It seems to be becoming more grand than I thought. If possible, please let me know how large a scale you are considering as early as possible, so we can proceed with preparations on our end as well."
"Understood. I will do so."
Thus, the messenger bowed respectfully.
Several more exchanges of information were conducted, and then he left.
Rubalwarus, left alone in the office, leaned back against the chair's backrest and fell into thought.
"......So it finally comes."
He had a premonition that it would come while he was still the head of the family.
There was no great basis for it, but still, he felt he had worked hard with the certainty that he would stand on the battlefield.
But...
"Fifty years... There is not a single person left who has directly stood on the battlefield, is there?"
He sometimes went hunting bandits and mountain robbers.
But compared to standing on a battlefield, that was like child's play.
Already, there were almost no people in the common towns who had experienced war.
That was why they easily agreed to war.
And easily, they said, "Welcome it," "Win it."
The citizens of both nations had forgotten the misery of war.
That was why Rubalwarus thought it would come in his generation.
"How much time is left?"
Thinking that far, Rubalwarus involuntarily smiled bitterly.
"I see. Indeed, it is praiseworthy."
How long Rubalwarus could remain peaceful depended on the mouse of Gronoir.
He would work hard to buy time properly, and in the meantime, they would prepare.
Even so, all preparations he could think of were already in place.
"I should have Magnus check again if there is any shortage."
Rubalwarus muttered that and left the office.
■■■■■■
【Am-Tast Trade Alliance, Capital City Shaksara, Suburbs】
It was already late at night.
A carriage entered a desolate port.
Capital City Shaksara had several ports, and this was the oldest and smallest port since ancient times.
Ships concentrated at the newly built large ship port, and few ships used this port.
In front of a warehouse located at the edge of that old port, several men were hurriedly preparing for departure.
When the carriage came near the warehouse, a somewhat thin man who was giving orders to the workers walked toward the carriage.
When the carriage came near the warehouse, it stopped, and the door opened immediately.
The man who appeared from the carriage had water-blue hair and seemed to be closing his eyes.
Still, seeing him get off the carriage without any awkwardness, his eyes were likely slightly open.
"Master Aquu."
The man who walked toward the carriage called out, and the man called Aquu smiled.
"Hard work. How many loads are there?"
"Twenty-one."
At the man's reply, Aquu frowned slightly.
"Less than I thought. Did the price rise that much?"
"Yes, it seemed better to stop for now. We still cannot be too conspicuous, can we?"
At the man's question, Aquu nodded.
"At least, I want to go unnoticed for another half a year or so. Well, some people must have noticed by now."
When Aquu said that, the thin man smiled bitterly.
The man walked ahead of Aquu as if guiding him and boarded a small merchant ship.
He then led him to where the loaded cargo was.
There, twenty-one wooden crates were stacked.
Each wooden crate was large enough for a big man to lie down comfortably.
The wooden crates were sealed with a seal indicating they were cargo of the Church of Light.
The man broke the seal without hesitation and opened the lid of the wooden crate.
Inside the wooden crate, raw steel was packed tightly.
Raw steel from the Earldom of Latajis in the Kingdom of Ektrem.
Aquu's title was a businessman engaged in the transportation industry.
But what he was doing was smuggling.
He was smuggling raw steel from the Earldom of Latajis in the Kingdom of Ektrem, which bordered the Am-Tast Trade Alliance, to the Gronoir Empire via the Am-Tast Trade Alliance.
The Earldom of Latajis owned several mines, and the raw steel produced and refined there was transported to the Gronoir Empire via the Am-Tast Trade Alliance.
Originally, the Kingdom of Ektrem did not permit the export of such a large quantity of raw steel.
Therefore, instead of the trade route, they used a somewhat minor road connecting the Earldom of Latajis to the Am-Tast Trade Alliance to transport it out.
The cargo was sealed with a seal indicating it was cargo of the Church of Light, and if they handed over a few gold coins to the border checkpoint they were passing through, they could easily transport it out.
Rather than wandering around carrying such a huge object, they could easily transport it by putting it in a Magic Bag.
Anyone could think of that.
Therefore, naturally, countermeasures were taken.
Unfortunately, raw steel could not be put into commercially available Magic Bags.
Due to the restrictions built into the Magic Bag, most raw steel could not be put inside.
The detailed conditions were unknown, but small items could be put in, but nothing else could be put in.
So, although troublesome, they had no choice but to transport the actual items as they were.
The purpose of Aquu's smuggling was not money.
Such things could be prepared in any amount.
In fact, this raw steel was simply handed over to the Church of the Gronoir Empire.
And the funds to purchase it were brought from the Church as needed.
Ignoring profit or loss, they simply transported money and simply transported raw steel.
That was their only role.
After Aquu confirmed the contents and nodded, the man closed the lid.
Then he resealed it with a new seal and spoke to Aquu.
"It seems the people of Latajis are leaving one of the mines as it is, as it is no longer usable."
"As it is? I heard monsters overflowed and it was sealed... They haven't cleared them out?"
"It seems so. So, it seems the amount of ore that can be mined has decreased as well."
They should have cleared them out quickly, but for some reason, they hadn't.
Aquu shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, if that's the case, it cannot be helped. We would like them to work hard to mine for us, but we cannot say 'do it'."
When Aquu said that, the man smiled bitterly.
But he soon turned serious.
"Master Aquu. Is what we are doing truly connected to the divine oracle?"
He muttered so, looking down.
To such a man, Aquu smiled gently.
"Don't you understand? This is already part of the war with Ektrem. War is not just about cutting with swords or blowing away with [God's Miracle]."
He explained thus, but the man's expression did not brighten.
Perhaps it was difficult for someone raised only in the Church to understand the importance of stealing the enemy's strategic materials and using them for themselves.
"Besides, did you pick up any interesting news?"
At Aquu's question, the man shook his head.
It seemed there was no significant information even from the agents they had sent.
(As expected, the tightening must be severe since that incident.)
They had gone to the trouble of teaching an escape route and even provided an informant who could be easily recruited, yet they failed to kidnap anyone.
As a result, the hole in Sarbengeal was also plugged.
If that were the case, it would have been more effective to send a large number of agents and turn Sarbengeal into a sea of fire.
(...No, this is an interesting result in its own way.)
It wouldn't be fun if everything went according to plan.
After all, they had already been cutting corners.
Aquu spoke to the people preparing for departure and returned to the carriage.
He told the driver the destination and fell into thought for a while.
"Ignis" is still wandering around carelessly as always. "Ventus" and "Humus" have returned to the Seven Duchies Federation, but in the end, they are just playing as they please...?
He was somewhat exasperated by the "Sons of God" who acted too freely.
But that was fine.
He had already experienced that there was no fun in commanding a group that only followed orders.
For now, there had been no dramatic changes in the gathering of "Voluntas" either.
Well, that was only natural.
Nothing dramatic had happened yet.
(They said they would accelerate the schedule, but the Emperor's heavy hips still don't seem to be lifting.)
If the situation moved significantly, it would depend on that coward.
Thinking that, laughter rose up.
Aquu made a sound in his throat, ku-ku-ku-ku...
(That man becoming an important keyman.)
Most of the future developments could be read.
But surely, it would not end with just that.
Even so...
I will only fulfill my own role.
"Aqua," swaying in the carriage, continued to delve deeper and deeper into his thoughts.