Chapter 47

After catching a glimpse of the situation in the noble society upon returning, I somehow understood what Duke Retraju was thinking.

We are being hailed as "tragic heroes who fought and returned from the Kionis expedition." It sounds good, but we are nothing more than clowns.

Still, it's much better than being blamed for the defeat.

"There's no choice but to accept it,"

Colonel Altsa sighed as he walked along the walls of the fortress city of Tzima, looking rather reluctant.

I nodded as I walked beside him as his staff officer.

"There's nothing we can do. Everything has gone according to Duke Retraju's plans so far."

"Up to this point, huh."

The colonel seemed to have understood the implications of my words.

I added,

"Yes. Each of the five royal families and the various divisions have their own plans, and if they feel threatened, they will naturally resist. Duke Retraju might face a counterattack."

Each royal family owns vast territories and immense wealth, and commands armies that are almost private forces. They won't be crushed without a fight.

"Moreover, it's unclear how public opinion will shift from here. Once it starts moving, it can roll in unexpected directions."

In this context, "public opinion" does not include ordinary civilians. It is composed of nobles, clergy, and wealthy merchants.

The colonel walked in the shade of the wall, looking up at the high walls.

"That woman has started to move the declining empire, but even she can't predict where it will go."

"Yes, no one can predict it."

"If that's the case, we can only move swiftly in response to the situation. I'll rely on my family's connections to strengthen information gathering."

In his case, his family's connections are extremely strong. They are one of the five royal families that control the empire's national affairs.

The five royal families, unlike other nobles, have the status of royalty and naturally possess their own intelligence agencies and networks.

At that moment, Sergeant Hanna waved from a distance.

"Colonel! Staff Officer!"

Outside the walls, a vast cemetery spread out, where the members of the 6th Special Task Brigade had gathered.

The four fallen soldiers will be buried here. Their bodies have already begun to decompose, and there is no time to transport them back to their hometown in Medilen territory.

The colonel and I exchanged glances and waved back.

"Ah, we'll be right there!"

According to the rituals of the Filnia Church's Resting Sect, the four coffins were placed in the graves. Normally, coffins are not provided for common soldiers, but the colonel had procured them at his own expense.

Without a military chaplain, Lania, who is from the Filnia Church's Resting Sect's holy land, the Kingdom of Finis, will perform the ceremony. She was originally a traveling musician and was often called to perform at funerals and memorial services during her travels.

"The sun of life is far on the horizon, and the shadow of death covers the graves. We send you into the twilight, wishing you a peaceful night."

Lania, who is also the leader of the drum and fife corps, played the harp, and a quiet melody flowed through the cemetery.

"Our friend, Riza Seites"

She was a line infantry soldier, young, bright, and innocent.

She died with an arrow piercing her throat, blood gushing from her mouth and nose.

"Our friend, Piola Roade"

Also a line infantry soldier, but a bit older, she had fled from her husband's violence. She died with her intestines spilling out from a slashed abdomen.

I can't tell which was worse: her husband's fists or the cavalry's saber.

"Our friend, Shuna Bjord"

She was a supply soldier. She was not good at conflict but had a strong sense of responsibility and was brave.

She was hit by a net thrown by Kionis cavalry, her arm was severed, and she died from blood loss while writhing in pain.

"Our friend, Rera Sion"

She received an arrow in her abdomen during the Battle of Jarakud and suffered for three days before dying. Unlike the other three, I still regret that she might have been saved.

Lania, with her clear and beautiful voice, offered the Filnia Church's eulogy.

"Merciful God, open the gates of rest for our friends. Grant them eternal peace and protect them until the day we meet again."

The gates of rest. I don't know if there is an afterlife, even after dying once.

But since reincarnation exists, death is not necessarily the end.

I wish that the souls of these four women will be reborn in a better world and find happiness.

The world I came from wasn't that bad, so if they reincarnate there, I hope they can all enjoy some parfaits together.

After the funeral, everyone went into the city to rest. They would probably visit taverns to remember the deceased and heal from the fatigue of battle.

After seeing them off, the colonel turned to me.

"It's all thanks to you. Being able to hold a brigade funeral in imperial territory without leaving our comrades' bodies to the wilderness is a small comfort. Without you, we would have been annihilated. As the brigade commander, I commend your achievements. Thank you, Lieutenant Chrombertz."

I felt embarrassed and pulled my cap down over my eyes.

"No, I just wanted to keep everyone alive. Of course, including myself."

Indeed, unlike other units, we returned as a brigade. Moreover, we brought all the fallen back this far.

This is a great relief for those of us who survived. We won't be haunted by the nightmare of our comrades being devoured by beasts in the wilderness.

The colonel sighed as he looked around the war cemetery, noting that there were not many new graves.

"Most of the units that participated in that battle didn't return. Those who did return probably feel guilty for abandoning their comrades."

Of the 50,000 Kionis expeditionary forces, 30,000 participated in the Battle of Jarakud. The remaining 20,000 turned back, which is a clear violation of military orders.

Among the units that participated in the battle, only the 6th Special Task Brigade returned almost unscathed.

The colonel muttered,

"Even among the survivors, there are different positions and opinions. Frictions will arise in various places. Getting caught in a petty dispute would be troublesome."

As his staff officer, I had to say something difficult.

"Then it's even more important to follow Duke Retraju's plans. In the short term, there's a high possibility of becoming the dominant force in the power struggle."

"What about the long term?"

"I don't know. The long-term predictions will vary greatly depending on how much Duke Retraju can solidify her advantages."

I answered and then added my personal opinion.

"But Duke Retraju's methods will lead to the decline of the empire. She creates enemies with every move, so no matter how solid her political base becomes, she will ultimately be destroyed."

There have been many such schemers in history.

No matter how great a hero, if they create too many enemies, they become targets for assassination or political sabotage.

"How far Duke Retraju can go in her selfish pursuit of power. If she can destroy the empire itself, it might be a good strategy to ride it out until the end."

The colonel listened to my words and then faced forward.

"Let's not do that. I dislike that woman."

"Me too."

We exchanged glances and smiled, then continued walking in silence.

* *

We returned to the brigade headquarters in the fortress city of Tzima, exhausted.

We were greeted by Lieutenant Roz, who was on duty.

"Welcome back, Uiner."

"It's not 'welcome back.' I almost died being chased by cavalry during the retreat."

Roz, while brewing coffee, said in a matter-of-fact tone,

"If you charge out as a decoy in front of the Kionis cavalry, you usually die. How are you still alive?"

I can't die multiple times. One death is enough.

I thought of the usual bad taste of Roz's coffee with nostalgia and replied,

"Because I proposed the plan with the highest chance of survival, and it worked."

"Typical of a staff officer."

Roz laughed.

Then, he suddenly became serious and said,

"There's something I need to tell you. The Mildor family seems to have caught Duke Retraju's tail."

I almost spat out my coffee. What does that mean?

When the Principality of Bruges invaded the Mildor territory of the empire, Duke Retraju supplied siege cannons to the Bruges army.

This led to the fall of the crucial military stronghold, Fort Godo, and the Third Division lost many senior officers and is now unable to conduct independent operations.

However, only Colonel Altsa and I know that Duke Retraju supplied siege cannons to the enemy.

It's too dangerous to make it public or report it.

I tried to hide my inner turmoil and probe a bit.

"Caught her tail?"

"Yes. You must have already noticed. The artillery capabilities of the Bruges army were abnormal. As an artillery specialist, I can tell you that the major damage to the Third Division was caused by siege cannons, not infantry."

Roz looked out the window with a cup in hand.

"After the battle, the Mildor family's intelligence organization conducted an investigation. But the Bruges army has no facilities for casting large cannons and no engineers. So where did those siege cannons come from?"

I feigned ignorance.

"Have you considered the possibility that they were imported from the Reincarnation Sect countries?"

"Of course. But the Principality of Bruges is originally part of the Resting Sect and is shunned by the Reincarnation Sect countries. Even importing horses is difficult, let alone cannons."

Due to the traitor's sad fate, the Principality of Bruges has poor relations with neighboring countries like the Kingdom of Agan. The successive dukes of Bruges fear losing their position within the Reincarnation Sect and repeatedly attack the Schweider Empire as a form of diplomatic appeal.

Roz looked at me intently.

"I don't know much, but the Mildor family seems to have caught the vixen's tail. But they haven't found a way to drag her out of her den yet."

There's no solid evidence, it seems.

Then, Roz returned to his usual tone and joked,

"Well, you should subtly pass this information to the brigade commander."

"Hey, hey."

"During our casual conversation, you, being perceptive, noticed something. Being loyal, you will consider my position and report it to the brigade