Chapter 363 - Episode 355: Dispatching Troops
Noein, having moved to the conference room, stood before Pence, who had been present earlier, Yuri, who had just been summoned from the National Army Headquarters, and Anna, the head of the civil officials. As usual, Matilda was by Noein's side.
"...To think Cadne was actually alive. I thought that even if he managed to cross the Lestio Mountains, the chances of him dying in a ditch in an unknown land were far higher."
"He certainly has a strong streak of bad luck, doesn't he?"
Yuri, who had just been briefed on the situation, nodded at Noein's mutter.
"If it was going to turn out like this, I wish the Kingdom of Lancel had finished him off properly."
"True... but the Kingdom of Lancel probably didn't think Cadne could perform this well. From everything I've heard, Cadne didn't seem like a particularly competent person," Anna replied with a troubled expression to Pence's grumbling.
"Whether the current Kingdom of Lancel underestimated Cadne, or whether being cornered caused Cadne to exhibit more ability in domestic administration than expected, or if it was simply a fluke... regardless, the fact remains that he actually achieved success in the Kingdom of Vigore. Now, what shall we do?"
Noein looked around at his high-ranking retainers and asked for their opinions.
"For starters, if we join the war, it's certain that the odds will be against us."
"Right. It might not be as large a gap in combat power as the numbers suggest, but honestly, it'll still be quite tough."
Golems, explosive flame arrows, and now magic items for attack magic. The army of the Archduchy of Arqvist possessed destructive power more than enough to compensate for a slight numerical disadvantage. However, even with that, fighting an enemy that vastly outnumbered them would not be easy.
Even if the Kingdom of Levrant gathered men capable of fighting from among their populace in addition to their own army, the number of usable soldiers would be a thousand at most. The Archduchy of Arqvist could not send its entire army to a foreign land, so those deployed would be fewer than a hundred. Even assuming they could perform the work of several hundred men, the combat power could not be called sufficient.
"For example, since this involves Cadne, would it be possible to have the Kingdom of Lancel join as reinforcements?"
"...No, that's difficult."
"...Indeed. Given the nature of the Kingdom of Levrant, the political barriers are too great."
Pence shook his head with a grim face at Anna's suggestion, and Noein answered with a look of regret.
The forces of the Kingdom of Lancel—which persecuted beastmen as much as or more than the Kingdom of Lordberg—would enter a beastman nation in the northern part of the continent with which there had been no diplomatic relations until now. Doing such a thing would likely worsen the situation. King Gabriel would not approve either.
It might be possible if they conducted meticulous discussions and adjustments in advance to avoid conflict, but they did not have the luxury of time for such things.
"By the same logic, relying on the Kingdom of Lordberg would also be difficult."
"Yeah. In the first place, the Kingdom of Lordberg has no obligation to go out of its way to send an army for this matter."
The northern and southern parts of the continent had spent eras in a relationship of basic mutual non-interference, aside from small-scale exchanges.
For instance, if Cadne's forces were on the verge of invading the Kingdom of Lancel or the Archduchy of Arqvist... in such a pressing situation, the Kingdom of Lordberg would likely help, but they would not suddenly move an army to help a small nation in the north with which they didn't even have direct diplomatic relations.
"Thinking realistically, we're the only ones who can move right now... For now, let's organize what would happen if we don't send reinforcements and the Kingdom of Levrant is destroyed by the Kingdom of Vigore."
Noein began the discussion, and Yuri and the other two considered that premise.
If the Archduchy of Arqvist did not lend a helping hand, and the Kingdom of Levrant was completely conquered and fell under the influence of the Kingdom of Vigore.
First, it would be impossible for the Archduchy of Arqvist to establish peaceful diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Vigore, which had Cadne as a close aide. Naturally, the trade that had only just begun last year would end abruptly.
If that happened, first and foremost, the direct import of salt would become impossible. One more unstable element would be added to the Archduchy of Arqvist. One could say it would simply return to the previous state, but in practical terms, it was a regression.
Additionally, garnets would have to be imported from another distant mining site, and the import unit price would rise considerably. If that happened, the production cost of the jet-black armor would skyrocket, and equipping everyone would likely become unrealistic.
Furthermore, since the lapis lazuli mining sites would be located near the border of a hypothetical enemy nation, it would cause problems there depending on Cadne's future moves. If the mining and processing of lapis lazuli, which was still a vital industry for the Archduchy of Arqvist, became unstable, the impact would be great.
And above all, the worst-case scenario—having a hostile force acting on Cadne's will right next door—would become the norm. This was the greatest disadvantage, agreed upon by everyone.
If the Kingdom of Vigore, which was conquering other nations with irresistible force, triumphed over the Kingdom of Levrant, its sphere of influence would expand further.
Of course, the other northern nations would not stand by and be destroyed, but in the north, where a situation of small nations standing side-by-side had lasted a long time, they could not expect the various countries to conveniently unite now and overthrow the Kingdom of Vigore. Conversely, there was a future where many countries showed submission to the Kingdom of Vigore, and the hegemony of that country, and by extension Cadne, became certain.
If that happened, the Archduchy of Arqvist would be on edge.
It was said that when Cadne was exiled from his country, he spoke of aiming to reclaim the throne. If a hostile great power were born in the north of the continent, crossed the Lestio Mountains to advance south into the Kingdom of Lancel, and a great war began, there was no telling how the nearby Archduchy of Arqvist would be dragged into it.
Moreover, as a means of personal revenge against Noein, there was a high possibility that Cadne would attack the Archduchy of Arqvist first, as it was a perfect first conquest target and a base in the south. Noein would choose that option if he were Cadne.
"...No matter how I think about it, abandoning the Kingdom of Levrant is far too inconvenient for us."
"Yeah. While the Kingdom of Vigore's power is still limited, it's best to assist, keep the Kingdom of Levrant alive, and dampen Cadne's momentum. If possible, we should kill Cadne. Though it's not as easy as it sounds."
Yuri nodded with a grim face at the frowning Noein.
"Sigh, why am I always getting caught up in such difficult battles... If I'm going to do it, I want to try a battle where we have the numerical advantage."
Noein slumped over the desk while grumbling.
"The Great Southwestern War, the Battle of Bezel, the Betumia War. There's a limit to repelling large armies with the clever tactics of a small force."
"...Well, this time, a defeat wouldn't immediately lead to a crisis for the Archduchy. I feel bad for the Kingdom of Levrant, but if it looks like their destruction is inevitable, we'll just withdraw early."
"That's true. But depending on the battle situation, it's not certain we can withdraw so smoothly."
"In that case, I will ensure Noein-sama's return even at the cost of our lives."
"I don't want that. To have you all die and then return to this country alone because of it..."
Looking at Noein, who was sulking with his chin resting on the desk, the others gave wry smiles. Of course, Yuri and the others understood that Noein was simply pouting while remaining aware of reality.
"Then, Your Excellency, is the final decision that the Archduchy of Arqvist will send reinforcements to the Kingdom of Levrant?"
When Yuri asked, straightening his posture and refining his tone, Noein raised his head and answered as his sovereign.
"Yes, it's decided. I will inform Knight Beverstamm myself. Regarding the specific composition and equipment of the reinforcements, we will hold another meeting later after gathering the other vassals. I'll leave the communication to the various parties to you."
""Yes, sir!""
"Understood."
.....
After informing Beverstamm that they would respond to the request for reinforcements and finishing more detailed discussions, Noein began preparations for the expedition to the Kingdom of Levrant along with his vassals.
First, the transmission of information to the neighboring countries to the east and west.
Since the Kingdom of Lordberg was in a position similar to the suzerain of the Archduchy of Arqvist, he informed Oscar Lordberg III that the Archduchy was sending an army to help its northern neighbor and explained the situation in the northern part of the continent.
The other side seemed to have heard bits and pieces about the Kingdom of Vigore's rapid progress, but they didn't seem to know that Cadne was behind it; a reply came back acknowledging the expedition along with some surprise.
Similarly, when he informed the Kingdom of Lancel of this matter, they requested more detailed information regarding the part where Cadne had gained power in the Kingdom of Vigore. It was only natural for the Kingdom of Lancel to be most concerned about that.
However, since Noein knew nothing more than the simple circumstances conveyed by the Kingdom of Levrant, he told them so honestly. It seemed the Kingdom of Lancel would begin its own information gathering, utilizing whatever thin connections they had with the northern part of the continent.
The reason Noein went through the trouble of sending polite notices to both countries was a consideration to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings or tension when showing signs of moving an army flashily. Also, it served as a notice that "As the sovereign, I will be away from the country for a while, so the scope of diplomatic matters I can respond to will be narrowed." Furthermore, it was a warning: "You know what will happen if you meddle with my country while I'm away." It had these three meanings.
In parallel, Noein also selected the personnel and equipment that would head to the Kingdom of Levrant with him.
As a result of discussions with the high-ranking retainers, the mobilized forces were as follows.
First, naturally, Matilda. Then, his close aide, Yuri.
As guards, Pence and two squads of six from the Guard.
As the liaison on the battlefield, the dialogue mage Konrad.
As the main combat force, the Claymore unit consisting of Gustav, Alain, and twelve others.
Additionally, an infantry unit of fifty men with Dant as the captain. This infantry unit included about ten beastman soldiers. This was a consideration to improve the impression of the foreign Archduchy of Arqvist army within the Kingdom of Levrant.
This total of just over seventy people was selected as reinforcements for the Kingdom of Levrant. Radley and Rick were left behind as personnel to command the defense and maintenance of public order in the home country.
Although the reinforcements were small in number, their equipment was powerful.
First, twelve golems from the Claymore. There were also two of Noein's own golems (since this was anti-personnel combat, he brought standard golems, prioritizing the number of attacks). Furthermore, several spares were transported.
In addition, twelve ballistas and two hundred explosive flame arrows. Magic items for attack magic were also deployed. As for the fifty infantry, it would be more accurate to call them personnel for transporting and operating these, rather than white-combat strength.
The regrettable part was that the deployment of the jet-black armor had not caught up. Because the expedition took place shortly after production began, only the armor for Noein, Matilda, and some of the puppet mages had been produced in time.
Also, this time, the undiluted 'Angel's Honey' would not be used. Noein had decided to execute that tactic in the Betumia War because the enemy was far away; to use it against an opponent on the same landmass, with whom he would have to continue associating after the war, would leave far too much resentment.
"Even so, it's really a pain. To think I'm forced to put magic items intended for some future day into actual combat so suddenly."
After finishing the preparations for the expedition in a few weeks. While proceeding along the trade route of the Lestio Mountains with the army, Noein muttered.
Noein was currently sitting on the bed of a horse-drawn wagon next to Matilda.
Normally, as the general, it would be better for Noein to be mounted, but since he was still not very good at handling horses, he was placed in the wagon to ensure he didn't fall off on the mountain roads. After crossing the mountains and arriving on the Kingdom of Levrant's side, he would enter the country mounted to look the part of a sovereign.
"I don't understand complex political talk very well either... but you mean that for weapons this grand, you'd prefer to keep the very fact of owning them hidden, right?"
The one who responded to Noein's mutter was Konrad, who was also placed on the wagon like Noein.
"Roughly that. It's been over a hundred years since a new magic item for attack magic was discovered. If it became known that I have them, I can only imagine how noisily the surrounding nobles would come asking."
"Your Excellency. It's a bit late for that now."
"I know, but looking at this pile of magic items stacked here, I just can't help it. I feel like grumbling."
Admonished by Yuri, who was riding alongside them, Noein looked at the several long, narrow wooden boxes stacked at the back of the wagon. Inside those wooden boxes were, of course, the magic items for attack magic.
Since there was no point in holding back, he had brought all eleven, but if he used this many magic items in front of both allies and enemies, it would certainly become a rumor. The story that "The Archduchy of Arqvist possesses a large number of magic items that fire attack magic" would likely reach the southern part of the continent before long.
Since these were weapons before they were an antique collection, they should be used like this if necessary. However, it was unexpected that he would put all eleven into actual combat within the same year he discovered them.
"...Half a month one way, huh. It'll be a long march."
"It cannot be helped. Given this large a party."
Yuri answered Noein, who muttered while looking left and right at the line continuing before and after the wagon.
Wagons fully loaded with disassembled ballistas, jars of explosive flame arrows, spare golems, and other weaponry, and the Claymore moving the golems on foot. Crossing the mountains inevitably took time. For a journey along a trade route that could normally be crossed with ease in two weeks or twelve days, half a month had been estimated just in case.
Along the gentle mountain path, the expeditionary force of the Archduchy of Arqvist proceeded silently.