Chapter 74

I let the brigade rest in a mountain village while I unfolded the folded map.

"The presence of the Bruges army in the border area with Eobenia was a bit unexpected."

"You, too, have your moments of surprise."

Altsar, the colonel, smiled while exhaling a white breath, so I nodded while munching on black bread.

"Of course. It's rare for my predictions to be accurate. However—"

"However?"

I washed down the black bread with water and showed a sly smile.

"As a staff officer, I make sure to prepare for situations where my predictions don't come true."

"Reliable. So, are we safe this time?"

"Far from it, but we'll manage somehow."

I traced the map with my finger.

"We never planned to continue down the road. If we go through the road and end up on the Eobenian side, we'll be captured by the Eobenian army in an instant."

"Eobenia is a country of the Filnia Church's Rest Day sect, like the Empire, but that's the only relationship we have. They are not allies."

"Yes. We didn't have the time to communicate beforehand, so it would be troublesome if we were spotted by the Eobenian army. That's why we're crossing the mountain range... but if we're spotted, it will be just as troublesome."

In this era, territories are composed of "points" represented by cities and "lines" represented by routes and roads connecting them.

Around the walled cities, there are scattered rural areas, and beyond the rural areas, the power of the lord or the army does not reach because no one lives there.

Of course, there are charcoal burners, woodcutters, and hunters in the mountainous areas. There are also ascetics and bandits. However, they all live far from society, so they probably won't report to the lord.

Around us, the children of the 6th Special Brigade were eating black bread, a precious food we had baked in advance before departure.

It's a staple food that is sour and crumbly and still hard to eat, but it contains nutrients from mixed grains. We will probably have to rely on this for a while.

After finishing lunch, I stood up, brushing the snow off my uniform. Fortunately, the snowfall wasn't significant.

"Well, the enemy should have caught on to our movements by now. If we are surrounded by a company-sized infantry and artillery, it's over, so let's disappear into the clouds."

Unfortunately, my superior was in the middle of stuffing black bread into his mouth. He chewed with wide eyes and struggled to swallow.

"Ah, sorry, sir."

"It's fine. Give me some water."

The colonel, who had drained a simple wooden mug of cold water, wiped his mouth and asked me.

"Disappearing into the clouds is fine, but are we going to climb this mountain?"

"The locals don't know, but this is the entrance to a mountain route that leads to Eobenia. According to Lance Corporal Lania, it's easy to walk even in winter because there's not much snow, and there's little danger from bandits or beasts."

The colonel nodded in understanding.

"As a traveler, she must be familiar with secret routes to bypass checkpoints. In the Medilen territory, there are many people who don't pay tolls."

"Ha ha ha."

The power of the imperial nobility is strong, and they control all infrastructure. They impose tolls and further strengthen their power.

But the common people are resilient. They avoid taxes by any means and preserve their meager strength.

This country... no, the relationship between rulers and the people is the same everywhere.

"Does Duke Zihiteberg know about this route?"

"Either he doesn't know, or he knows and turns a blind eye. By the way, the lord of this area knows and turns a blind eye."

This explanation is unnecessary. The colonel immediately understood the meaning of my words.

"If travelers from Eobenia pass through here, money will fall into a village off the road. It's more profitable to accept a tribute from the village leaders in exchange for turning a blind eye than to allocate personnel to enforce the law."

"Your insight is sharp."

Our superior is quick to understand, which is a relief.

"Because of this, this village has a decent general store and a tavern for some reason. Both are run by former servants of the lord."

"Ha ha ha, that's reassuring. The lord probably doesn't want trouble."

The colonel smiled and then suddenly tightened his expression.

"But if that's the case, the existence of this route is a 'public secret.' We shouldn't stay too long."

"I agree."

I nodded and reported to the colonel.

"This mountain trail can be traversed by horses, but not by wagons. We sold the wagons at a low price at the general store. We kept some of the wagon horses."

"We need pack animals. What do you plan to do with the field guns?"

"Since they are light, we can have the wagon horses pull them directly. We can't let them fall into enemy hands, so if we can't transport them, we'll destroy and hide them in the snow or bushes. The survival of the personnel is the top priority."

"Understood, that's fine."

Soldiers carry the equipment necessary for combat, so their survival skills are lower than those of ordinary mountaineers. Heavy guns are difficult to use as walking sticks, and the ammunition in the pouches can't be eaten.

Therefore, we can't push them too hard.

"According to the locals, the weather will be calm for the time being, so there's no danger of getting lost. However, the weather in the mountains can change suddenly, so we've made thorough preparations."

In my previous life, I was an indoor person, but in this life, I didn't even have a place to live, so I have accumulated a lot of outdoor experience. I used to poach in the noble's forests, so I was already familiar with camping before joining the army.

I wanted to take it easy with the knowledge from my previous life, but life doesn't always go as planned.

I glanced around and confirmed that everyone had finished eating.

"Well, let's go."

"Right. Let's get to the campsite and get some sleep."

Colonel Altsar stood up and gave the order.

"Let's move out! Show me the results of your training!"

* * *

【Duke Zihiteberg's Bitter Smile】

"Colonel Altsar is missing? And the 6th Special Brigade has disappeared as well?"

Duke Zihiteberg, in a room of his castle, received the report and turned around with a bitter smile.

"I've been outdone. I didn't expect them to withdraw before the surrender envoy arrived."

"You must admit, it's impressive."

In front of him, the younger brother of Duke Mildor smiled gently.

He had returned to his brother and was now acting as an advisor to Duke Zihiteberg, who had lost his father, the previous lord, and lacked experienced advisors.

Duke Zihiteberg sighed lightly and scratched his bangs.

"I intended to grant safe passage in exchange for a small favor, but I didn't expect such a swift retreat. Professional soldiers really move differently."

"Most likely, it's that staff officer. Lieutenant Colonel Yuiina Chrombertz."

"Most likely. I've sent my subordinates to search, but we can't find them. They've probably headed towards Eobenia, but—"

Duke Zihiteberg said this and sat down in his office chair.

"It seems that a battalion of the Bruges army is deployed in the Eobenia direction, so they will probably be captured eventually. The Duke of Bruges also seems to have hired a small but skilled mercenary group."

The Duke of Bruges does not trust the Duke of Mildor or the Duke of Zihiteberg, who are of the Filnia Church's Rest Day sect, and even now, as a confederation, information sharing is incomplete.

Of course, Duke Zihiteberg also does not share unnecessary information with the Duke of Bruges. It's a mutual arrangement.

The younger brother of Duke Mildor showed a thoughtful expression.

"If Colonel Altsar or Lieutenant Colonel Chrombertz are captured by the Bruges army, our diplomatic strategy could be derailed. Should we use the power of the House of Mildor to cause a little disruption?"

"No, the Duke of Bruges doesn't trust us. If something happens, he will immediately realize it's our scheme. We must remain dormant until we can take control of the principality."

"That's a good strategy. The risk will come later."

The younger brother of Duke Mildor nodded as if giving advice on political intrigue. In fact, he was Duke Zihiteberg's de facto advisor.

"Then what will you do? If things continue as they are, Colonel Altsar and his company will encounter a battalion of the Bruges army."

Duke Zihiteberg chuckled.

"The man who returned almost unscathed from a battle with the Kionis cavalry won't be captured by a battalion of the Bruges army. He'll return to the imperial territory with a calm face."

"Hahaha. You, who are a man among men, sound like a princess pining for a knight when you talk about Lieutenant Colonel Chrombertz."

Duke Zihiteberg smiled wryly at the younger brother of Duke Mildor's smile.

"That man is undoubtedly a hero. He possesses wisdom, benevolence, and courage. I wanted him to be my general."

"I agree. If he were the staff officer of the Third Division, the Bruges invasion might have been repelled. If that had happened, the empire's division might not have occurred."

The younger brother of Duke Mildor sighed and smoothed his white hair.

"Looking back, the Schweider Empire could no longer place capable people in appropriate positions. The fall of such a country is the will of the gods."

"The will of the gods, you say. A convenient phrase."

Duke Zihiteberg, deep in thought, directed his gaze at the map of the empire.

"Then, in accordance with the will of the gods, we must destroy the beloved imperial family. We can't give the imperial territory to the Duke of Bruges. If the path to the sea of blood is cut off, we have no future."

"In that case, we must secure the Imperial Guard Division intact. We will eventually have to fight the Duke of Bruges."

"Haha, you are a formidable person. You join hands with your enemy and then plan to cut off that hand."

Duke Zihiteberg laughed and then suddenly became serious.

"Even if we take control of the imperial territory, we can't stand up to the surrounding forces with just our two families. We need a strategy to bring the Medilen and Litray families to our side."

"Yes, that's true. The House of Litray is probably afraid of the Kingdom of Agan's southward advance, so it can be persuaded. The House of Medilen, however, is full of capable people and lacks negotiation material. The 'ring finger' remains unscathed even as the 'five fingers' are injured."

The younger brother of Duke Mildor said this, and Duke Zihiteberg continued.

"For smooth negotiations, we need Colonel Altsar and Lieutenant Colonel Chrombertz to return safely to the Medilen territory. Don't you think so?"

"That's right. However, we can't act openly now. We must trust in their abilities."

The younger brother of Duke Mildor smiled and slowly stood up from his chair.

"To make it easier for them to move, I will go and curry favor with the Duke of Bruges. Do you have any good gifts?"

"In that case, as a token of affection for the Duke of Bruges, I will give him one of my mines, along with the mining engineers."

"Oh, that's quite generous. Is it all right?"

Duke Zihiteberg smiled slyly.

"Will we not eventually have to fight? We can take it back when the time comes. We can't take back gems or art, but a mine in our territory with our people in it is easy to reclaim."

"That's a good idea. You have become more reliable."

The younger brother of Duke Mildor smiled warmly.