Chapter 240 – 240. Struggle, And, You, Me, We (2)

– One –

“Report.”

“4,267 stragglers, 379 dead, 1,312 returnees, a total of 3,334 uncombatable personnel occurred during today’s march.”

Quickly.

The person sitting in the seat of honor at the meeting table grinds his teeth.

“What kind of madman ordered a rapid march through the rainy season in this hot summer… I’m confident I’d break a bone if I just found out…”

His gaze sneaks toward Regal.

Regal didn’t even meet his gaze, just staring at the map of the operation.

“Has the total number of dropouts, including the dead, been counted?”

“A cumulative total of 23,744 people have fallen out. Among them, it is estimated that about 10 percent died.”

“It’s amazing. Thanks to the order to march at the right time, more than 10% of the people fell incapacitated before the war even started.”

“Yes…”

The reporter reflexively answered, then blurted out his words.

He was quietly looking at Regal.

Regal lifts her head and opens her mouth.

“This side had about 20 percent of the troops lost.”

The eyes of the commanders and the commander-in-chief all turned to Regal.

“Still, didn’t you assume the loss of troops during the march from the beginning and recruit this much? If you gather all the stragglers, it’s a large army of about 170,000. With so many elite soldiers gathered, it won’t be easy to defeat. “

Fast.

An officer is furious.

“Now that’s the problem,”

Regal ignores it.

The officer clenches his fists and glares at Regal.

“And, thanks to the fact that we marched at that rapid pace through the monsoon rain, there was no unfortunate incident of being ambushed during the march. The fact that we were not ambushed or ambushed did not sufficiently prove that the advance was at a time that the enemy had not anticipated. Cow?”

“…”

Everyone shuts up.

Regal looked at them and smiled refreshingly.

“Fortunately, the rain has also stopped since yesterday. If you take care of the pestilence, there will be no power loss in the future in situations other than combat. Besides, according to the report of the scout, if you march a little further, you will end up with a plain with only short shrubs. No. There is no fear of being surprised by the enemy here, so I suggest making this the last stronghold of our forces and forming a siege. I will be able to check.”

“… We’ll take care of that part.”

The commander-in-chief answers in a heavy voice.

He did not want his authority over operations to be violated.

“Please. In that case, I will also hand over the authority to command the soldiers of the aristocratic family to you. I have no intention of coveting merit by standing in the vanguard and beheading ragtag rebels, so let you manage it on your own.”

“…”

The commander-in-chief looks at Regal standing with his eyes wide open.

He seemed very surprised, as if he had heard something very unexpected.

“Can you really do that?”

“It doesn’t matter if you make a brawl and drive all the soldiers to death, or if you put them in the rear and don’t give them a chance to make any exploits, you can do as you please. Who do you think was the one who recommended you to His Majesty the Emperor as commander-in-chief based on your abilities? I trust my eyes.”

“…”

The commander-in-chief seemed to be moved by Regal’s words.

There is a lot of displeasure on his face.

“Okay. I’ll try to get the best results.”

“So do it. Then, since I don’t have the authority to command the troops, can I just step down? I’ll send in a general under my command who has actual command authority instead. I think it’s more efficient to discuss professional areas with experts.”

A look of satisfaction appeared on the commander-in-chief’s face.

Regal gave the Imperial Army a chance to stand in the vanguard and make merit, declared that he would not interfere with the operation, and even established the prestige of the commander-in-chief in front of his subordinate generals.

Regal had respected his command with the best courtesy he could, and the commander-in-chief saw no reason to quarrel with him any more.

“I’d appreciate it if you would do that. If the environment in the field is not comfortable, grab hold of our soldiers at any time and tell them.

“Okay. Then I wish you no luck.”

Chuck.

Regal bowed to them.

Unlike the first time, all the commanders of the imperial army returned with friendly eyes to Regal.

Flutter, flutter.
Jerk, jerk, jerk.

Regal left the conference room.

The meeting for real war has risen.

– 2 –

“Your Highness. What was the outcome of the meeting?”

Regal was unfamiliar with the person who greeted her in her barracks.

He was neither the butler nor Chiba.

In order to climb this long expedition, the two of them had a lot of responsibilities.

And Regal didn’t want them on the away road.

Therefore, assisting him was one of the butlers who often brought letters to his office.

“As scheduled.”

However, Regal did not express that unfamiliarity.

It’s because the days of being so young have long since passed.

“The enlisted men and our commanders all handed over final command authority to the Imperial Army.”

“Is that so?”

“We’ll step back a little further.”

“Yes, I understand, Your Highness.”

He wasn’t the one to discuss anything with.

It was just that when he gave an order, it was just a limb that followed like a knife.

Regal didn’t expect or ask for more, and he wasn’t even capable of it.

“I’ll rest for a while. When you’re ready, call me with a magic tool.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

He backed away

Regal was left alone.

Sit back on a soft chair and continue to think quietly.

Beep, beep, beep.

“Hmm?”

The magic tool he had for communication rang.

After confirming the recipient, Regal’s lips went up.

Tiririk.

“Madam. How are you?”

– Boo…

Chiba’s face appeared on the display panel.

She looks around Regal’s face with tears in her eyes.

– Your face is hurt, Mrs. …

“Isn’t life in the field like that? However, it’s not as hard as it looks. So, please stop worrying about me.”

– … Even a girl should have taken care of her husband by his side…

“I absolutely do not want you to go through the trouble of going through this uncomfortable experience. And doesn’t your wife have work to do there too? When each of us finishes our work, we will meet again without incident.”

– Haona… Whoa…

Chiba seemed to miss Regal so much.

Right before he left for the expedition, the two continued to make love.

But that alone wasn’t enough.

Since they got married, they haven’t missed a single day of love, so the past month has been a time of hard endurance for Chiba.

She was taking a detour into her concerns about Regal.

“No big deal. Don’t worry too much. Even if you don’t, I got some very interesting information lately. Would you like to hear it, too?”

– Ugh… What is it, black?

“Relatively accurate information about the level of the enemy’s armed forces and the means of defense against us. It was reported by a person working under the emperor’s faction.”

Regal told Chiba the information obtained from Fuchi.

Chiba’s eyes widened with tears.

“…Come. So,”

– Ha, hao, isn’t it very dangerous! All right, why don’t you come back right away, husband?

Chiba screams in shock.

Regal smiles leisurely and shakes her head.

“Listen to the end, ma’am. That’s why I intend to step back and observe.”

– Is that true?

A look of relief in Chiba’s eyes.

“That’s right. Even after handing over the command of the operation to the Imperial Army Command, we are now preparing to retreat to the rear.”

-Have you entrusted those useless ones with the vanguard, leaving them to actually test the level of force of the enemy?

“Yes. If the Imperial forces are helplessly swept away, I will return to the Isles without looking back.”

– Huh… Hearing those words, it seems that the girl can finally feel at ease.

The two face each other and smile.

Their expressions were fishy.

– What do you think the rebels in the north will do?

“Perhaps there must have been an uproar right now. Without a chance to escape, you would be surrounded by the imperial army. Besides, the leadership would have all deserted, so it was decided whether to go north to avoid the war or go south to die bravely. I’m sure you’ll be confused because you can’t bring it down.”

– Ho ho ho. If I could, I’d love to see the wriggling ants explode.

“That must be very enjoyable. If I happen to see it, I will remember it well and pass it on to my wife. If I go further north from here, I will completely lose communication, so it is very unfortunate that I cannot show it to my wife in real time. Oh.”

– I regret not being able to bring the video recording magic tool to my husband.

“Hmm… That’s all. It’s a pity that I didn’t think of it before.”

Regal chatted with Chiba for a while.

To quell her anxiety and soothe her loneliness, Regal took enough time to talk to her.

How long have they talked?

Boo woo, boo woo.

The summoning magic tool placed on the table rang.

“Oops. Now it’s time to move to the rear.”

– Ah…

Regal smiled kindly as she looked at Chiba who was regretful.

“If we move there, we will have more leisure than we do now, since we will only have to hear regular reports from our scouts and messengers. It will be easier to find time to talk with your wife, so don’t be too sorry.”

– All right. The girl then waits for the consort’s contact and will thoroughly carry out the work entrusted to her.

“Please do. I’ll call you back later. I love you.”

– The girl only loves her husband.

Tiriling.

Communication has ended.

The fact that the color of Chiba’s desire could not be observed from the image reflected on the display panel was very regrettable for Regal.

It felt like it couldn’t express even half of her beauty.

“Whoa…”

Regal took care of her regret and left the barracks.

It was time to climb into the carriage again.

– 3 –

There was scorching heat in the headquarters’ barracks.

Thud!

“Even that Regal B. Duke of Whiskey respects our command, so why can’t he obey our command?!”

“It’s because you belong to the empire, and we belong to the church. From the beginning, we sent out on our own, didn’t we?”

“However, the operational areas overlap, so why are you alone?”

“If you wish to have our command authority acknowledged, request your superiors and obtain formal approval from the church. If the Holy Father grants it and directly orders us to be under your command, then it is the Pope’s order. I will respect your command accordingly.”

“…”

It was because the leadership of the Church and the Imperial Army had collided.

The commander-in-chief kept his mouth shut, watching the battle of words between the commanders of the imperial army and the cardinal leading the troops of the church.

“I admit that even if only you are united, the power is large enough. But aren’t there only 10,000 of you?”

“It’s only 10,000, but while you guys suffered a loss of more than 10 percent, we didn’t drop anyone.”

“No, I mean, I mean,”

“In terms of the quality of our troops, we are far ahead.”

“You have an advantage in firepower just because you’re good at marching? If you can march even after being bombarded with catapults or magic carpet bombings, I’ll admit that you guys have the upper hand!”

“Whether it’s a person or a catapult, I’m confident that I can dismantle something before it’s even fired… But once, can we test your faithfulness to him? We’re confident right now.”

Thud.

“Stop.”

The commander-in-chief stamps his feet.

He used mana and as if he had stamped his feet, an earthquake spread around him.

Everyone is silent with that one cloud of footsteps.

“Look here. Cardinal Cass.”

“Tell me. Uh, um… Commander-in-Chief.”

The one called Cardinal Cass didn’t even seem to have memorized the name of the commander-in-chief.

Fall out.

Blood vessels sprout on the foreheads of the commanders of the Imperial Army.

If he hadn’t purposely memorized his name to insult the commander-in-chief, he had quite successfully provoked everyone.

“I’m sorry. I don’t care about memorizing names or titles because I don’t care about worldly things. It’s just that it’s become a habit for a long time, and I don’t mean to insult you on purpose. I swear.”

Woo woo woo woo.

Cardinal Cass read the atmosphere, apologized first, and pledged his innocence with divine power.

Anger fades from everyone’s face.

“I’ll introduce you again, this time I hope you remember it. My name is Miller G. Draft. We’re supposed to be operating together, so the heads of each group don’t even know each other’s names?”

“I’ll remember, Draft, uh… Chapter.”

“My rank is Lieutenant General. You can call me Lieutenant General Draft, or General Miller.”

“Ah, I see.”

Cardinal Cass bowed his head again.

One of the reasons why he bowed his head must have included the strong mana wave emitted by Vice Admiral Draft through the cloud of his feet.

Anyone with mighty arms would be docile.

After all, this is a battlefield.

If you’re wrong, you can always draw your sword and have a physical conversation.

It was never servile to be courteous to one another, both in terms of rank and force, unless one could be certain that the other was below.

“Cardinal Cass. That you have a good fighting force, even if you grab a three-year-old kid from the street and ask him, he will definitely affirm it. I also have no intention of denying that in the slightest.”

Cardinal Cass smiled and nodded his head, apparently quite pleased with his acknowledgment.

“However, even if you are classified as special forces, the fact that you are infantry does not change. Do you admit it?”

“Admit it.”

“So, leave reconnaissance and firefighting to us. Our troops and equipment are much better suited for that.”

“…”

Cass kept his mouth shut and quietly waited for the words of Vice Admiral Draft.

“However, I would like you to cooperate with building a siege, occupying the base, and healing the wounded. I will grant them the right to conduct independent operations.”

“That means you’re going to approve of the execution of traitors to the Church with our own hands?”

Swoop, Swoop.

Lieutenant General Draft strokes his beard.

He seemed quite troubled.

“Hmm… The betrayer of the church refers to the saintess?”

“Exactly.”

“The truth is. We are under orders to capture them as alive as possible.”

“…”

Cardinal Cass’s face hardens.

He tried to retort, but Vice Admiral Draft shook his head.

“Listen to me to the end.”

“…I understand.”

“Since the orders we have received are different, I propose to you. If we capture them alive, we will hand over the saintess to you. However, delay the execution until we return to the system. We will receive permission from the superiors there and approve it. If this happens, please execute the execution after that. Wouldn’t this be acceptable to you too?”

It is a way to achieve the goal of the Imperial Army while raising their own face.

Not bad.

Cardinal Cass nodded.

“Lieutenant General Draft. I will accept your offer. In addition, if it is not a severely unreasonable order, I will follow your command.”

“It won’t happen, so don’t worry about the absurdity.”

Swoop.

Lieutenant General Draft stands up and holds out his hand.

Chuck.

Cardinal Cass also gets up, grabs it, and shakes it.

They smiled and sat back down.

“Then, while the soldiers are building their positions, let’s discuss the route and schedule of advance. Do you have any objections?”

Vice Admiral Draft looked back at the commanders and asked.

“Doesn’t exist!”

The commanders of the imperial army and the commanders of the privates of noble families answered with one voice.

After Lieutenant General Draft nodded, he nodded to his staff.

The long meeting lasted late into the night.

However, there was no longer a loud noise from the headquarters’ barracks.