Chapter 35

The domestic situation was gradually becoming more unstable.

"Lord Mildor finally snapped at the Fifth Division."

Lieutenant Roz, who is married to the younger brother of the lord, sighed while sipping his coffee.

"Hey, this is delicious. You've really improved, Master."

"Who are you calling Master?"

I frowned, turning the coffee mill.

"Your brewing method is all over the place. You need to roast the beans evenly and not let the foam escape during extraction."

"Whatever, it's all going to be bitter anyway."

That's why you're not getting any better.

Let's get back to the topic.

"So, what did Lord Mildor do?"

"The Fifth Division was acting too arrogantly, so he declared, 'The Mildor territory is fine with just the Third Division.' When Lord Rethelieu heard this, he ordered the Fifth Division to withdraw."

It's a mess, just like Roz's coffee.

"...What, you look like you have something to say?"

Roz, holding his mug, was looking at me. He's sharp in his own way.

I tried to dodge it.

"I was just thinking that this might be part of Lord Rethelieu's plan."

If Lord Mildor continues to borrow troops from the lower-ranked Lord Rethelieu, he will lose face as the head of the noble family. Rather than being forced to submit and lose his influence, he decided to take a gamble and defend his territory with his own Third Division.

That's probably the case.

When I explained this, Roz looked skeptical.

"True, the withdrawal of the Fifth Division will be a problem for the Mildor family, but what does Lord Rethelieu gain from this?"

"She's very sensitive to her interests. She always acts to benefit herself."

In my previous life, there were quite a few people like her. Calculating, selfish, and without moral qualms, their rationality unchecked.

But their actions are easy to predict. Their judgment is always based on their own benefit.

I thought about it.

"If the Fifth Division withdraws, the Duchy of Bruges will move again. Since its founding, it has been the vanguard of the Reincarnationist countries, continuously seizing territory from the Schweidel Empire."

There's no other choice for a traitor.

"The Third Division, which is still being rebuilt, doesn't have the power to stop the Bruges army. Fort Godo has been destroyed, and many senior officers have been killed. Even the excellent young artillery lieutenant has been poached."

"Haha."

Roz was smiling wryly. He's weak when it comes to praise.

"So, what happens with Bruges' re-invasion?"

"I don't even want to think about it, but the Mildor territory might be significantly reduced."

"Does Lord Rethelieu benefit from that?"

No, she doesn't.

But there was one possibility.

I hesitated whether to say it, but I confided in my best friend.

"The decline of the other five royal families besides the Rethelieu family. What if that's what she wants?"

"Well..."

Roz thought for a moment, then took a sip of his coffee.

"It's bad."

"But you said it was delicious?"

I joked while drinking the now cold coffee.

"But it is bad. The empire can only stand up to the surrounding countries when the five royal families work together. There's no room for internal strife."

Lord Rethelieu's words, "Next, the second one."

If that means "to strike the second-ranked Zichtberg family," my suspicions would be one step closer to certainty.

However, taking her words at face value is dangerous, and there's a possibility I'm mistaken. It's not good to overthink things. I'm a soldier, not a writer.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"The only thing I can say for sure is that Lord Rethelieu only moves troops for her own gain."

"If that's the case, it's fine. If she's moving troops based on logic, soldiers do the same."

"However, the standards for judgment are different between politicians and soldiers, so it's not wise to be too optimistic."

I finished my coffee and pushed the mug to Roz.

"Come on, get out. My room isn't a café. And wash the dishes."

"This is the only place where married men in this brigade headquarters can relax."

I don't care.

"I'm a busy staff officer. I'm doing everything myself."

There's a lot of work in reorganizing the brigade, taking care of the soldiers' mental and physical health, recruiting new soldiers, forming units, and procuring equipment. Normally, there would be different people responsible for each task.

But Roz was smiling.

"You can handle it, right? Besides, it looks like most of the documents on your desk are already done."

"They're just theoretical plans. The work of organizing and verifying them hasn't been done yet."

A staff officer's job isn't to come up with ideas but to make them a reality. The original ideas come from the upper echelons or superiors.

And then, my superior appeared.

"Looks like you're having fun. Can I join in?"

"Sir!"

I threw Roz's collar and stood at attention, saluting.

Why is he in my room?

As a strict staff officer, I presented my concerns to my superior.

"Sir, this is inappropriate. It disrupts discipline."

"I heard you brought in Hanna."

Roz, was it Roz?

I glared at Roz, who was fidgeting in his chair and shrugged.

Colonel Altsa was chuckling.

"Hanna told me it was a fragrant and passionate moment."

"It's about the coffee, right?"

I asked, feeling uneasy. The colonel sat in the chair Roz had prepared, smiling thinly.

"Joking aside, it's a problem for the brigade commander if two officers are having a private meeting in a private room. I'd like to join in if you're badmouthing me."

"Why would you want to join in? And can you stop using the word 'private meeting'?"

I gave up and decided to make coffee for the colonel. My private room has a small fireplace, so I can boil water whenever I want.

I might as well ask while I'm at it.

"You didn't come here just to tease me, did you?"

"Of course not. I thought this place would be good for counter-espionage. With hundreds of people, including military personnel, it's not impossible that some have been bought by that woman."

It's true that there's a possibility of spies infiltrating. Lord Rethelieu is the kind of person who would provide cannons to enemy countries.

Colonel Altsa glanced out the window and then said.

"The information from my family. Lord Rethelieu is getting closer to the imperial court. And the imperial court is currently preparing for a marshal's investiture ceremony."

In a country where the five royal families effectively control five divisions, the heads of the five royal families, though not military men, control military power. The centralization of power in this country is a facade.

However, if the facade and reality diverge too much, the facade will collapse, so various methods are used to make things consistent. The marshal's rank is one of them.

The colonel leaned back in his chair, swinging his feet slightly, and sighed.

"Lord Rethelieu, who has no military experience and didn't graduate from the military academy, can't even become a lieutenant, let alone a general. But as a marshal, she can bypass the usual personnel system. And the marshal is the highest rank in the imperial military."

Lieutenant Roz asked curiously.

"But isn't that just an honorary title?"

"Yes, it's purely ceremonial, but if there's an imperial decree, the law grants the authority to command multiple divisions."

Lord Rethelieu can move the Fifth Division, but the other divisions are loyal to their respective lords. Even with the marshal's rank, they won't follow her orders, even if they come from the emperor.

The colonel leaned on his elbow and smiled sarcastically.

"Of course, the other families' divisions won't follow Lord Rethelieu. It could even lead to a rebellion. But that woman is thinking, 'If a rebellion breaks out, let's use it. Either way is fine.'"

"Sir, your impression of Lord Rethelieu is spot on."

"I've seen her too many times..."

I pity him.

As a staff officer, I stated my opinion while serving coffee.

"That's a possibility, but there are many other ways to incite a rebellion. Lord Rethelieu will avoid being the catalyst. I think she still has a trump card hidden."

"I see, that's true. You're not only skilled in military matters but also in politics. How about entering politics?"

"A civilian officer getting involved in politics would lead to ruin. I'll pass."

The political world of the empire is complex and dangerous. I'm better suited to just fight wars.

"Lord Rethelieu is very adept at using chaos to her advantage. She's also skilled at creating chaos. She's a genius in that sense."

Thinking of the beautiful woman in a military uniform, I said coldly.

"But such people are usually called 'enemies of society.'"

"Hahaha! You're quite the talker, officer!"

Colonel Altsa laughed heartily. He seems to be quite troubled by Lord Rethelieu, and he looks quite exhausted.

Roz is looking at me with a bewildered expression. Why?

The colonel was in a good mood.

"In a way, we should be grateful to Lord Rethelieu. She sent you here, didn't she...?"

The colonel's movement stopped after taking a sip of coffee.

"It's bitter."

"It's coffee."

"There's no sugar or milk in it?"

The colonel looked at me with a dissatisfied expression. Is he a child?

Then Roz explained with the same expression.

"He likes his coffee black, with nothing added."

The colonel looked at me as if I were a rare animal.

"Is your sense of taste okay? Or is it some kind of training?"

Why do I have to be questioned so much just for liking black coffee?

Even a superior officer can't dictate personal preferences.

"I only love coffee. I don't need sugar or milk."

"But it's too bitter..."

The colonel, who seems to have a policy of finishing everything served, drank the coffee bit by bit, looking pained.

Finally, Roz brought out the sugar bowl.

"Yuin, listen up. Coffee is completed with sugar and milk. Everyone drinks it that way."

"If you want sugar and milk, you can add them later. Once added, you can't take them out."

It's a scientific fact based on thermodynamics.

While we were arguing, the colonel was sipping the black coffee, but finally, he raised the white flag.

"I can't do it. At least give me some sugar."

"Here you go, sir."

I thought a noble-born colonel like Colonel Altsa would prefer black coffee...